Recent developments and applications of the high-capacity tensiometer in geotechnical engineering - a review

Abstract : High-capacity tensiometer (HCT) has been proved to be promising in unsaturated soil mechanics for the capacity of direct suction measurement in the range beyond 80 kPa. The present paper aims to provide a global picture of the recent developments of the HCTs in geotechnical engineering and tries to illustrate some major challenges for the future applications. Three aspects are considered: i) recent developments in HCT design; ii) new applications of HCT in geotechnical engineering; and iii) main challenges need to be solved. These aspects contribute to a better recognition of HCT and its potential utilization in geotechnical engineering.