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The design of diaphragm-type boundary total stress cells

The design of diaphragm-type boundary total stress cells
The design of diaphragm-type boundary total stress cells
The compliance of boundary total stress cells is normally the primary criterion governing their design. It is widely believed that they will not under-read the pressures applied to them by soil if the ratio of the diameter of the cell diaphragm to the displacement at its centre is not smaller than some threshold value (typically 2000). This Paper reports the results of experimental and finite element studies which show that this approach is unsound, and that boundary total stress cells are more properly designed by taking into account the relative stiffness of the diaphragm with respect to the soil. Care must be taken in the design of calibration experiments, and soil stiffness must be measured locally and at small strains. There is then good agreement between observed cell action factors and predictions made using finite element analyses. Charts are presented which may be used for the design of field and laboratory instrumentation.

field instrumentation, laboratory equipment, earth pressure
0016-8505
523-535
Clayton, C.R.I.
8397d691-b35b-4d3f-a6d8-40678f233869
Bica, A.V.D
0c884221-c53b-46fd-8300-3e5d006ebde5
Clayton, C.R.I.
8397d691-b35b-4d3f-a6d8-40678f233869
Bica, A.V.D
0c884221-c53b-46fd-8300-3e5d006ebde5

Clayton, C.R.I. and Bica, A.V.D (1993) The design of diaphragm-type boundary total stress cells. Géotechnique, 43 (4), 523-535. (doi:10.1680/geot.1993.43.4.523).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The compliance of boundary total stress cells is normally the primary criterion governing their design. It is widely believed that they will not under-read the pressures applied to them by soil if the ratio of the diameter of the cell diaphragm to the displacement at its centre is not smaller than some threshold value (typically 2000). This Paper reports the results of experimental and finite element studies which show that this approach is unsound, and that boundary total stress cells are more properly designed by taking into account the relative stiffness of the diaphragm with respect to the soil. Care must be taken in the design of calibration experiments, and soil stiffness must be measured locally and at small strains. There is then good agreement between observed cell action factors and predictions made using finite element analyses. Charts are presented which may be used for the design of field and laboratory instrumentation.

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More information

Published date: December 1993
Keywords: field instrumentation, laboratory equipment, earth pressure
Organisations: Civil Engineering & the Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 73993
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/73993
ISSN: 0016-8505
PURE UUID: 11cc763c-9233-4449-b215-4cfc4663b08c
ORCID for C.R.I. Clayton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0071-8437

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:43

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Contributors

Author: C.R.I. Clayton ORCID iD
Author: A.V.D Bica

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