A Review on Pressure Measurement using Earth Pressure Cell

ABSTRACT: Economy and reliability of any land founded structure depend on evaluation of exact stresses generated at soil-structure interface or within the soil mass under various loading conditions. Measurement of stresses provides verification of design principles and improvement of theory/model describing behaviour of soils. Pressure cells are used for measuring earth pressures acting on soil-structure or within soil mass. However, interpretation of results obtainable from an earth pressure cell (EPC) is crucial as they are affected by effect of inclusion, interaction effect with surrounding soil, effect of placement and environmental effects. Calibration of EPC performed in fluid and soil under application of same pressure leads to different results and soil calibration underestimates the measured pressure. This paper presents a review of factors affecting earth pressure measurement, devices and techniques commonly used to calibrate earth pressure cell. A comparison between the different calibration techniques with respect to their applicability and limitations is also presented