UNCERTAINTIES IN EARTH PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS IN EMBANKMENT DAMS

There are a lot of uncertainties related to earth pressure measurement. Earth pressure measurements are carried out in order to determine stress redistributions occurring within the dam. The reliability of these measurements is significantly reduced, however, by various influencing factors - especially due to the mechanical interaction between the earth pressure cell and the surrounding fill material. The theoretical errors of measurement based on different material behavior may be determined with the aid of approximation formulae derived from numerical computations. Experimental investigations as well as the evaluation of measured data from dam projects serve to indicate the influence (also numerically determinable) of transverse pressure on earth pressure cell measurements. With the aid of suitable evaluation methods it is possible to verify earth pressure measurements in embankment dams and reduce the uncertainty.