OPEN STANDPIPES

The simplest instrument for measuring pore water pressures in ground is an open standpipe.
This is a small (usually 19mm) diameter plastic pipe with a porous section at the bottom.
The pipe is installed inside a borehole and the porous section is positioned at the depth
where the pore water pressure is to be measured. The annulus between the porous filter and
the borehole is filled with sand, the top and bottom surfaces of the sand are sealed with
bentonite and the rest of the borehole is filled with a cement/bentonite grout.

The pressure of the ground water pushes water into and up the standpipe until the level of
water inside the standpipe (h) is equivalent to the pore water pressure in the ground at the
elevation of the porous filter.

ELECTRIC PIEZOMETERS

Electric piezometers consist of a deflecting diaphragm and a porous filter separated by a

small reservoir of water. Deflections of the diaphragm are detected using a vibrating wire or
a strain gauge and are converted to an equivalent pressure using a suitable calibration.

The piezometer is inserted into a borehole and the annulus between the porous filter and the
borehole is filled with either sand or cement/bentonite grout.

Water from the ground forces its way into the reservoir and causes the diaphra gm to deflect
until the pressure inside the reservoir is the same as the pore water pressure in the ground at
the elevation of the porous filter.

If a piezometer is installed above the prevailing ground water table, the pore pressure in the
soil could be negative and the water in the piezometer will tend to be drawn out of the
reservoir. If this happens air can eventually form inside the piezometer and it will not
function reliably.
Can a vibrating wire piezometer measure negative pore water
pressure? It’s a simple question… or is it?
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HYDRAULIC PIEZOMETER S

Hydraulic piezometers consist of a porous filter enclosing a reservoir of water, which is

separated from a pressure gauge by flexible, water filled tubes. The tubes are used to
circulate water through the system, removing air and ensuring that the reservoir remains full
of water.

Geotechnical Observations’ flushable piezometer is a hydraulic piezometer that can measure

positive and negative pore water pressures. Flushable piezometers are installed in fully
grouted boreholes and the grout acts as a secondary filter, helping to maintain saturation of
the piezometer under the influence of suction. If air forms in the piezometer it can be
removed by circulating water through the hydraulic tubes.