The TEXAMe pre-boring pressuremeter is a rugged and reliable instrument that can be used for various ground engineering applications. This pressuremeter distinguishes itself by its ease of use and versatility. Loading is done manually with a screw jack, which allows the user to run tests in either strain or stress controlled steps. The manually-controlled hydraulic loading system ensures a good repeatability of the test, while making unload-reload cycles very easy. The new electronic version of the TEXAMepressuremeter makes general operation of the equipment even easier and repeatable.

This equipment includes the following parts.

A control unit houses electrical pressure and volume sensors, connectors, a control valve and a manual actuator (screw jack) for pressurizing the water in the cylinder via a piston.

A readout unit consists of  the D/P BOX unit operated with an Andoid tablet. This versatile readout is compatible with other pressuremeters manufactured by Roctest. A special application, installed on the tablet, allows configuring the tests and calibrations, to read and plot the test results in real-time, to log the data, and to review test results.

A water-filled probe is fitted with an easy-to-replace single outer sheath. This sheath consists of rubber typically protected with metallic fins.

And finally an easy-to-repair, high-pressure tubing connects the probe to the control unit.

Test Procedure

The probe is placed at the test depth in a pre-drilled borehole obtained by a method adapted to the soil conditions: wet rotary drilling, augering, shelby tube pushing, etc. In granular soils below the water table, the probe can be driven directly within a slotted casing. The test is run either with a constant rate of deformation by using a uniform rate of rotation of the actuator, or with equal increments of pressure as for the Menard pressuremeter test.

Test Results

An in-situ stress-strain curve is obtained by plotting the injected volume against pressure. The main parameters yielded from the test readings are the Pressuremeter Modulus, Creep Pressure, and the Limit Pressure. A tool (TexamCompanion) developed by Roctest can be used for that purpose.

Roctest Ltd.
680 Birch Street
Saint-Lambert, Quebec
Canada J4P 2N3
Tel: +1 450 465 1113
Toll free: 1 877 762 8378
Fax: +1 450 465 1938