RHEOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS.

To ensure the reliable performance of the foundations of buildings and structures over the course of their entire service life, it is necessary to consider the rheologic characteristics of the soil bed in the design. At the present time, these characteristics are normally determined under laboratory conditions; this is associated with disturbance of the soil's structure. To investigate soils under field conditions, the authors developed and tested a hydraulic-type pressure meter in the Beds, Foundations, and Engineering Geology Department of the Belorussian Polytechnic Institute. The unit operates on the principle of a screw piston pump. As the hand wheel is rotated, the radius of the pressure meter is increased beneath the casing of the penetrometer as a result of displacement of a portion of the fluid from the effective zone in the cylinder.