Abstract:
Pressure has long been a lively topic of discussion among rock grouters. The amount of pressure to be applied and the method for measuring pressure is often debated. In the formative years of the U.S. grouting industry, the measurement of pressure was accomplished using simple instruments. As technology and rock grouting methods improved in recent decades, more attention was paid to the pressure applied to the grouted interval, or effective pressure. Despite industry advancements in pressure monitoring, errors persisted in the approximation of pressure applied in the grouted interval. In the last decade, grouting practitioners have worked to reduce the error in calculated effective pressure through development of instrumented packers. This paper presents a summary of historical pressure measurement methods, provides an explanation of effective pressure theory, and discusses the difference in monitoring pressure with instrumented packers.