Soil-Structure Interaction of an Earth Pressure Cell
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 9
Abstract
The output from an earth pressure cell (EPC) is usually related to the normal stress in soil through fluid calibration, where a known pressure is applied to the EPC and the output is recorded. However, distribution of normal stress within a soil is not uniform, and the EPC is not an ideal membrane—bending stiffness affects the response. These factors complicate the performance of the EPC. A calibration procedure for an EPC is reviewed, and it is shown that these controversial sensors can provide an accurate measure of average normal stress if calibrated in soil at a given density. In addition, a soil-structure interaction model is proposed to explain why soil calibration is necessary.
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Acknowledgments
Partial support was provided by the MSES/Miles Kersten Chair and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). This note represents the results of research conducted by the authors and it does not necessarily represent the views of MnDOT.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 9 • September 2011
Pages: 843 - 845
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 30, 2009
Accepted: Jan 6, 2011
Published online: Jan 8, 2011
Published in print: Sep 1, 2011
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