Measure the Bearing Capacity of Soil with Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD)
Light Weight Deflectometer is created for determining the bearing capacity and compaction of soil and other such sub-bases only. There were a few more devices that were used before for testing the bearing capacity of the soil. But, LWD makes it possible to perform these tests and evaluations easily. With the help of the Light Weight Deflectometer, one can make use of dynamic plate load tester for testing the soil’s inbuilt layers. This is one of the reasons why people have started using this device in those sites that are not easily accessible. Whether one has to test the quality of soil in pipeline trenches or road construction, this device can be used anywhere. It can be used for coarse and mixed grained soil also. Now, let’s know how the Light Weight Deflectometer can measure the bearing capacity of the soil.
 Process for measuring bearing capacity of Soil
First, place the Light Weight Deflectometer in the right position. Now, take the measurement device and connect it with LWD and then turn it on. When the ground becomes pre-compacted, the measuring process for bearing capacity of soil starts. There are four total consecutive compressions that take place in this process. Ensure that the HMP LFG menu has been structured properly, otherwise, it will create a problem in the proper functioning of the Light Weight Deflectometer.
Once the compression is completed, you can see the settlement on display in mm. The settlement, speed ratio, and the dynamic deflection module’s average measurement value will be displayed, once the process of measurement is done. The analysis of the measuring points can be done at the same time on the site, by the measurement series printout. The measurement series includes several details like current date, time, the settlement curve, settlement rates, path to speed ratio, the average value of the settlements, and the dynamic deformation modulus. For a more detailed analysis of the measurement series or measuring points, one can check them on the desktop.
The good part about using the Light Weight Deflectometer for measuring the bearing capacity of the soil is that it takes less time and can be used during extreme weather conditions. To get accurate soil measurement, a transportation lock has been provided with this device. If you also want to measure the soil or sub-bases bearing capacity or compaction at your site, use Light Weight Deflectometer.
About the Author:
TERRATEST GmbH is a world leader in the development and manufacturing of Light Weight Deflectometers for dynamic load plate test. They offer the world’s first light weight deflectometer “TERRATEST 5000 BLU” with Bluetooth and voice navigation. For more information about their products, visit their website!