Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides guidelines for the proper use of the pressuremeter. There are several different kinds of pressuremeters. They are the preboring pressuremeter (PBPMT), the selfboring pressuremeter, the cone pressuremeter either pushed or driven in place, and the pushed shelby tube pressuremeter. The design applications of the PBPMT test include: shallow foundations under vertical loads, deep foundations under vertical and horizontal loads, cantilever drilled shaft walls and anchored bulkheads, pavements, ground improvement and compaction control. Louis Menard, in 1955, in France, developed a preboring pressuremeter to measure the in situ soil deformation properties and started his own company. In 1966, K. Suyama, T. Imai and S. Ohya, of the Oyo Corporation, developed the Lateral Load Tester and later on the Elastmeter 100; both are preboring pressuremeters.