Innovate.

At Cambridge Insitu we design and build high resolution direct strain measuring pressuremeters, providing innovative solutions in our industry.

There are three types of Cambridge Pressuremeter. All three are all based on the same concept, as they have capacity to directly measure pressure and displacement during a test.

The instrument is positioned in a borehole, having either been inserted into a pre-bored ‘pocket’, pushed in, or drilled in as self-bored. The choice of which depends on the material and the requirements of the test.

Our pressuremeters are instrumented down-hole tools with a cylindrical flexible membrane which expands when pressure is applied (like inflating a balloon). Measurements are taken via strain gauge transducers spaced evenly around the central axis of the expanding section. These strain gauges measure the displacement of the membrane continuously during a test. A further transducer measures the internal pressure of the probe during the test.

Combined, the transducers provide incredibly precise and reliable data for pressure (stress) and displacement (strain) for the duration of a Pressuremeter test. Typical transducer resolutions are equal to 0.1kPa and less than a Micron.