Abstract: The invention relates to pressuremetric apparatus used to determine the mechanical properties of soil.The apparatus comprises means which include solenoid valves (10, 14, 19), pressure sensors (11, 16, 20), and an electronic unit (21) which controls the solenoid valves on the basis of information from the sensors and of preselected information, so as to automatically provide a pressure rise, in accordance with the desired program, in the dilatable cell of the pressuremeter.The invention is useful in controlling the pressure rise in probes of pressuremetric apparatus.