Penetrometers, Soil

Penetrometers

Soil Penetrometers are designed for field and laboratory testing and measure compactness, strength or cohesiveness of soil. They were originally developed to determine the soil load bearing capacity for engineering purposes, but now are increasingly used in geotechnical engineering and in agriculture for other uses such as soil mapping. Humboldt's Penetrometers are unmatched for accuracy, reliability and ease of use and comply with a variety of testing standards.

Dynamic Cone Penetrometers (DCPs) were developed by the Army Corps of Engineers and provide a low-cost, efficient test method for quickly determining the in-situ CBR values of pavement base, sub base and sub grades. Dual Mass Penetrometers can be used for depths from 30 inches to 6 foot and can measure in-place soil shear strength in road constructions with CBR values from less than 0.5 to 100%.

The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) was originally developed by George Sowers and is used to determine the penetration resistance relationship with the standard penetration resistance of virgin soils. As with all field tools used in foundation evaluations, this method should never be used as the sole means for determining foundation conditions.

Humboldt's pocket penetrometers for soil is used by field personnel to check visual classification of soils. The pocket penetrometer, or hand penetrometer can be used to make quick estimates of unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soils, especially in field applications.

The Proctor Penetrometer Set can be used to establish the moisture-penetration resistance relations of fine-grained soils per ASTM D1558. The set includes nine interchangeable threaded needles.

The Proving Ring Penetrometer is a cone type of penetrometer which can be used in a number of applications. It serves as a rapid means for determining the penetration resistance of soils in shallow exploration work. The reading obtained in this method maybe correlated to standard or modified compaction data for compaction control in the field.

Static Cone Penetrometers are used to evaluate the geotechnical properties of soil such as soil consistency, level of compaction and bearing capacity of foundations. Humboldt's Static Cone Penetrometers are specifically designed for use in fine grained, soft soils to depths up to 30 feet.

If you have questions or need help selecting equipment, please call us at 1.800.544.7220 or use our Ask Humboldt form.