The knowledge of lateral earth pressure is a required input to many issues in geotechnical design and analysis. The determination of lateral earth pressure at rest is often based on a coefficient of earth pressure at rest (K₀) for which there is no theoretical basis for its determination. This paper addresses three issues that have direct influence on the measurement of lateral earth pressure at rest: pressure measurement technique, presence of a structural boundary and stress history. The testing was carried out using two different pressure measurement techniques: null gauge technology and deflecting membrane technology. The tests were carried out under two different boundary conditions: free-field conditions and conditions adjacent to a structural boundary. The tests included multiple load–unload cycles. The data generated in this study have indicated that the small deflections required to produce output signals when using deflecting membrane transducers have significant impact on the recorded response. The null soil pressure measurement technique precludes deflection and is therefore inherently more suitable. The effect of a structural boundary must be considered when determining horizontal pressure at rest; the presence of a structural boundary alters the development of vertical soil pressure which is reflected in the magnitude of lateral soil pressure.

中文翻译：

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结构边界和应力历史对砂土静止土压力的影响

横向土压力的知识是岩土工程设计和分析中许多问题的必要输入。静止侧向土压力的确定通常基于静止土压力系数（K ₀) 的确定没有理论依据。本文解决了对静态侧向土压力的测量有直接影响的三个问题：压力测量技术、结构边界的存在和应力历史。测试使用两种不同的压力测量技术进行：零位压力计技术和偏转膜技术。测试在两种不同的边界条件下进行：自由场条件和结构边界附近的条件。测试包括多个加载-卸载循环。本研究中生成的数据表明，在使用偏转膜换能器时产生输出信号所需的小偏转对记录的响应有重大影响。零土压力测量技术排除了偏转，因此本质上更适合。在确定静止水平压力时必须考虑结构边界的影响；结构边界的存在改变了垂直土压力的发展，这反映在侧向土压力的大小上。