Use of the Flat Dilatometer Test (DMT) in geotechnical design

This paper presents an overview of the DMT and of its design applications, in the light of the experience accumulated over the last 20 years. The following applications are discussed: determining common soil parameters, predicting settlements of shallow foundations, compaction control, detecting slip surfaces in clay slopes, predicting the behavior of laterally loaded piles, evaluating sand liquefiability, estimating consolidation/flow coefficients, selecting soil parameters for FEM analyses. The basic differences of the DMT compared to other penetration tests are also discussed.