Laboratory Calibration of Earth Pressure Cells
Labuz, JF
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Theroux, B
Gale-Tec Engineering, Minneapolis, MN

(Received 28 July 2003; accepted 19 July 2004)

Abstract
The objective of this study was to design a simple apparatus for laboratory calibration of diaphragm type earth pressure cells (EPC). A new testing device was fabricated to permit the application of normal stress to the EPC using various types of soil and load configurations. With respect to fluid pressure, the response of the EPC can be different for the simplest earth pressure conditions because of an arching effect or nonuniform contact stress. For an EPC with a rigid outer rim, sensitivities computed from soil calibrations were lower than those determined from fluid calibrations by about 20 %.

Keywords:
arching, calibration, earth pressure cell, soil, soil stress gage, test procedure

Paper ID: GTJ12089
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ12089

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Author Labuz, JF Affiliation Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN Author Theroux, B Affiliation Gale-Tec Engineering, Minneapolis, MN Author Labuz JF, Theroux B Title Laboratory Calibration of Earth Pressure Cells Symposium , Committee: on