Pressuremeter Tests in Russia and Their Application

A series of 12 preboring pressuremeter tests were performed for the foundation design of a tall building in St. Petersburg, Russia. The site is on the North shore of the Neva River Delta. The soil layers at the site consist of Quaternary soft saturated soils of marine, glacial-lake origin and hard Vendian clay. The test procedure was the one recommended by the Russian standard which calls for much longer pressure steps than the ASTM Standard. Modulus of deformation and limit pressure profiles were obtained for 24–40 m depth in the Vendian clay. Such pressuremeter test results are often used for the foundation design of tall buildings.