Plate pressure tests
A plate test, also called plate pressure test or plate load test, aims to obtain the degree of compaction of the (sub) soil, foundation, elevation or road structure, to a limited soil layer thickness, so that its (elastic) properties can be assessed or monitored.
In this test, a centrically loaded, rigid plate with a specific surface or diameter is loaded in steps with a hydraulic jack in order to obtain the modulus of elasticity and bedding constant.
There are two types of plate tests: Static and dynamic. Different diameter plates can be used for a static test. For a dynamic plate test, this usually involves a plate with a diameter of 300 mm. The dynamic plate test can be carried out faster, but there must be a correlation with a static plate test.
At each step the subsidence of the plate is monitored with respect to the ground or road structure. In between the steps, the plate is relieved again, all according to prescribed steps, depending on the standard to be applied.
The quality of the compaction or supplement can be assessed on the basis of the resulting subsidence / settlement or the elasticity of the substrate can be determined.