Plate Load Test
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The plate load test (see Figure 1 and 2) can be used to measure the modulus of subgrade reaction for in situ material. The test involves pressing a steel bearing plate into the surface to be measured with a hydraulic jack. The resulting surface deflection is read from dial micrometers near the plate edge and the modulus of subgrade reaction is determined by the following equation:
where:
- = spring constant = modulus of subgrade reaction
- = applied pressure (load divided by the area of the 762 mm (30 inch) diameter plate)
- = measured deflection of the 762 mm (30 inch) diameter plate
The 1993 AASHTO Guide offers the following relationship between k-values from a plate bearing test and resilient modulus ():
Standard Test Methods
- AASHTO T 222 and ASTM D 1196: Nonrepetitive Static Plate Load for Soils and Flexible Pavement Components, for Use in Evaluation and Design of Airport and Highway Pavements
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APA
Pavement Interactive. (2018, September 19). Plate load test. HeadLight. Retrieved [the date you read it], from https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/design/design-parameters/plate-load-test/
ASCE
Pavement Interactive. (2018). “Plate Load Test.” HeadLight, <https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/design/design-parameters/plate-load-test/> ([the date you read it]).
BibTeX
@misc{pavint-plate-load-test,
author = {{Pavement Interactive}},
title = {Plate Load Test},
year = {2018},
publisher = {HeadLight},
howpublished = {\url{https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/design/design-parameters/plate-load-test/}},
note = {Accessed [date]}
}