The current state and prospects of soil plate tests

Abstract

The methods and results of determining the deformation characteristics of soils, the history and current state of soil plate tests are considered. Various types are described: flat rectangular — large-size, standard round, screw plates, dilatometer plates, devices for their anchoring and creating loads on them. A critical analysis of the results of testing dispersed soils with plates of various designs was performed, the influence of the used test methods on the obtained values of the soil deformability characteristics was considered. The issues of integration of field and laboratory methods of soil research are analyzed. In megalopolises such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, often the height of buildings exceeds 150–200 m, and the depth of the designed objects is 25–30 meters or more. This leads to the study of soils at depths significantly greater than that performed in previous years. No less relevant is the study of specific soils with plates on urban areas previously used and reused for construction, especially in the conditions of renovation of dilapidated housing. A separate problem is the study of the physical-mechanical properties of soils (plate tests along with laboratory studies) in basement levels and other buried structures, the solution of which is under development. Equally important is the consideration of changes in the natural conditions during the plate tests in the process of engineering geological surveys in areas with permafrost and seasonally frozen soils. The developed methods and devices, taking into account the requirements of the current regulatory technical documents, allow the testing of soils with plates to the level of advanced technologies currently leading in this area.