In Chatham-Kent, the Ménard pressuremeter test (PMT) is specified under ASTM D4719-20 for projects where conventional SPT or CPT alone cannot capture the full stress-strain response of the subsurface. The region’s thick glacio-lacustrine clays and interbedded sands require a direct measurement of the pressuremeter modulus (E_M) and limit pressure (p_L) to design foundations that resist both vertical loads and lateral spreading. We combine PMT results with a geotechnical site investigation to calibrate settlement predictions, and when soft clay layers are present we cross-reference the data with vane shear testing to verify undrained shear strength. The test is run at multiple depth intervals inside a single borehole, typically every 1 m, producing a continuous profile of deformability that no other in-situ method provides as cost-effectively in this geology.
The pressuremeter modulus E_M measured in Chatham-Kent clays typically ranges between 3 and 12 MPa, directly applicable to immediate settlement calculations.