Date : 06th October 2023
Presents : Catherine Jacquard (CJ), Jacques Monnet (JM), Jean-Pierre Baud (JPB), Robert Heintz (RH), Roger Frank (RF), Alexandre Lopes (AL) , Wissem Frikha (WFF) , Emad Sharif (EAU), Anna Shidlovskaya (AS), Ramdane Bahar (RB), Marek Tarnawski (MT), Louis Marcil (LM), Marcelin Kana (MK), Jean-Louis Briaud (JLB), Johannes KIRSTEIN (JK), Babak Hamidi (BH), Youssam Kazan (YK).
Absent with apologies: Yasmin Byrne (YB), Romain Meyer (RM), Julien Habert (JH)
Agenda :
- Presentation
- Main subject of the meeting: Preparation of the new ISP (place, date, etc.)
- ICP activities (strategy, members, activities), Various
Main subject of the meeting :
I. Presentation
WF thanks and welcomes the members of the committee present on the meeting and summarizes the objective of the creation of ICP after the symposium Pressio 2015 (ISP7).
WF introduces himself and conducts a round-the-table presentation of each member. The main topic is how each member sees how to improve the use of the pressuremeter in the future / perspectives:
- Emad Sharif (Émirats Arabes unis/EAU) :
- The lack of software and tools for pressuremeter interpretation
- Lack of comprehension of pressuremeter results
- Jean Louis Briaud (USA) :
- The minipressuremeter will be used in USA for pavement design, roadside safety, etc.
- The use of simple pressuremeter at shallow depth… topic for next conference
- Jean Pierre Baud (FRANCE) :
- Uses of the pressuermeter for geological properties.
- Continue to get more and more data an increase interpretation for Geotechnical engineering
- Roger Frank (FRANCE) :
- Use for shallow and deep foundations under different loading to derive deformation.
- Develop Arscop (French national project to improve the practice on pressuremeter testing and applications)
- Jacques Monnet (FRANCE) :
- Improvement of instrumentation (gauge) to measure volume variation. Gives more precision on young modulus under unloading loading
- Perform cycle unloading and loading
- Louis Marcil (CANADA) :
- Different type of equipment and different ways to use the pressuremeter … There is a need to work on how to avoid confusing ideas spread about how to use the test results and what we can do or we can’t do with it
- Anna Shidlovskaya (RUSSIA/USA) :
- Expanded its application for rock and educating people how to use it and how to interpret it accordingly.
- Producing tutorials
- Robet Heinz (Luxenbourg) :
- Unloads /reload cycle method… IS standard for borehole expansion test: to create new standard where make cycle in pressuremeter.
- Phicometer => phi and c results … next year (last stage)
- Pressurepermeameter : introduce it in IS standard for permeability test : good tool for measure permeability.
- Mark Tanaweski (POLAND) :
- We should cooperate more efficiently. (Problem of microphone!!)
- Alexandre Lopes (FRANCE) :
- Improve test procedure: adopt tests including unload-reload loops well defined (amplitude, rate of unload, and the interpretation procedures that go with it). Derive non- linear ground stiffness, shear modulus, etc.
- Etienne Marcel Kana (CAMEROON) :
- Use for gravel soil
- Serge Varaksan (FRANCE) :
- Fellow and contact the pressuremeter manufacture
- Johannes Kirstein (Germany/USA) :
- For Soil improvement
- Use confined pressuremeter combined with a CPT cone (fugro system/Cambridge university) .. full Displacement pressuremeter
- Bahar Ramdane (ALGERIA) :
- Use of cyclic pressuremeter test and develop correlation for soil (Algerian soil)
- Catherine Jacquard (FRANCE) :
- Representative and more interpretation of pressuremeter modulus (quality)
- How to automate the performance of borehole (quality of borehole)
- Babak Hamidi (AUSTRALIA) :
- Use dynamic compaction. Almost mothing in Australia (expensive,
- => real logistic and develop and improve use of pressuremeter in Australia / correlation with Manard modulus and pencel pressuremeter results.
- Relationship between different type of pressuremeter over the word.
- Une pressuremeter for ground improvement
- Marcos Arroyo (SPAIN) :
- Be present at ASC7 (several papers (6 contributions) + Lecture of A.
- Lopes – to be confirmed by ISSMGE proceedure).
- Test large variety of material / Versatile and enables to do many different procedures (not achievable by other tests )
- Simplify the interpretation and the use of pressuremeter.
II. Main subject of the meeting: Preparation of the new ISP (place, date, etc.)
- Potential organizing countries: United Kingdom (IPS3 in 1990), Portugal (Antonio Viana approached by WF), Senegal, Ivory Coast Mrs. Dr. Ndeye Magatte Fall DIOP proposed the candidacy of Senegal to WF; Luxembourg.
- Robet Heinz presents the initial program in the university of Luxembourg, amphitheater with capacity for 200 persons for lectures. Free at the first week of September 2025, big space for exhibition, students can be present and give good opportunity to promote the pressuremeter.
- Candidacy of Luxembourg to organize the next pressuremeter conference (Romain Meyer and Robet Heinz) and date are approved and agreed by all the presents.
- There is no ISSMGE conference planned in early September 2025 (Roger Frank). Fully free.
- The date of Friday and Saturday (05-06/09/2025) can be good. And with two days before (training section) … to communicate knowledge operation and interpretation of pressuremeter test. Make in situ test, interpretation of pressuremeter result, and application (and application) … explanation and interpretation of rock pressuremeter, etc.
- Robert Heinz can launch the preparation and will send the program to chair it with ICP members.
- A program will be proposed by Robert Heinz and Romain Meyer (with topic, support, etc.).
- ICP is the scientific committee of ISP’8 .
- ICP will share the information of ISP and promote ICP.
III. ICP activities (strategy, members, activities), Various
- Two annual meeting will be planed, and more meetings will be organized on the behalf of the organization of ISP’8.
- It is interesting to add other members representing other countries with cooptation, Louis Marcel (and APAGEO to be contacted), Cambridge in situ, and other manufacturers are encouraged to participate in the organization of ICP and ISP and to recommend other members.
- It is suggested to create small sub-groups about specific subjects like the use of pressuremeters in soft rocks, cyclic procedures, etc. Each sub-group can be leaded / managed by one of the ICP members.
- Robert Heinz proposes to lead a group for synthesis of the use pressuremeter in Eurocode 7 : Information: explanation to covers about use of pressuremeter in Eurocode: big promotion of pressuremeter (theory and interpretation missing in the code) + make complementary details+ examples… Robert will send a draft for the schedule of group. Robert recommends also to revise the book Amar, S., Clarke, B., Gambin, M., & Orr, T. (1990). The application of pressuremeter
- The aspects regarding the management of the ICP is discussed (free
organization/society/association/ formal committee or/and affiliation to tc102 as subcommittee). - Jason Delong president of TC102 was contacted by mail and proposed: “It may not be necessary to create another formal committee to keep the ISP series running, but you should feel free to do so if you would like.
Another option, if it is acceptable within the ISSMGE structure (would need to double-check), would be to create a
TC102 subcommittee on Pressuremeter, and that sub-committee could run the ISP series?
I personally don’t feel strongly towards any direction, and I would rather the informal group of those passionate
about the PMT and the ISP determine what they believe is the best path forward for this, and I will do what I can
to support that direction. “ - Some participants recommend being a part of TC102 as sub-committee.
- Some participants views are to continue to work as free committee (without any formal form) and be sure that ICP has enough members present in TC102, without the creation of a new subcommittee. Members of ICP can represent ICP in TC102. Suggestion to add Robert (Luxembourg) and Wissem (as secretary of ICP) or other members (three or four) to TC 102. Wissem will contact TC102 for this purpose.
- Note that TC (211) for ground improvement works without any subcommittee. Understand relationship between TC and ICP. TC works with members selected by the concerned national societies, acting as corresponding members. Corporate members are not acceptable.
- It should be checked with the chair of TC102 how it can be done. It is the role of the chair of TC102 to ensure that all in situ tests are equally represented. Recommend equilibrating TC102 with members dealing with pressuremeter test. The role of subcommittee doesn’t exist.
- It seems not be worth to create an official society (association) for ICP. No decision is considered in this meeting. To continue discussion.
- Discussion about how to formalize the organization of ICP, in association (society), or in a group affiliated to the TC102 not concluded.
- Wissem will contact Jason Delong to see how to do and to add our website in the link of ISSMGE and TC102.
- French project ARSCOP (improvement of ground characterization using the pressuremeter) is in process of finalization. A document with a set of recommendations on enhanced procedures / interpretation methods is being written and will be concluded in the next few months.
Presentation is scheduled for September 2024 in Paris.
End of discussion
Written and reviewed by Wissem FRIKHA and Alexandre LOPES