Characterisation of highly weathered phyllite via in-situ pressuremeter test for the assesment of pipe-jacking forces

Highly weathered phyllite rock mass was encountered during installation of trunk sewer pipelines via pipe-jacking in Kuching, Malaysia. The rock mass was difficult to characterise via conventional means due to its highly fractured state. This research develops a novel method to characterise the highly weathered phyllite using pressuremeter tests. The developed method has been validated for its application in the assessment of pipe-jacking forces. One of the main contributions of this research is the ability to use pressuremeter test as an alternative testing apparatus for characterising highly weathered phyllite, whose results can be applied for the assessment of pipe-jacking forces.