Our Laboratory
What is a geotehnical laboratory ?
A geotechnical laboratory is a facility used to conduct a variety of tests on soil, rock, and other construction materials in order to determine their physical and mechanical properties. These properties are important in the design and construction of foundations, retaining walls, and other structures that rely on the soil or rock for support.
In a geotechnical laboratory, technicians and engineers use spe cialized equipment to conduct tests such as soil compressibility, compaction, permeability, and strength. These tests help to determine the suitability of the soil or rock for a particular construction project and can also be used to identify any potential problems or hazards that might affect the stability of the structure.
Laboratory testing
There are a wide range of tests that may be conducted in a geotechnical laboratory, depending on the specific needs of the project and the materials being tested. Some common tests that may be conducted in a geotechnical laboratory include:
- Soil classification tests: These tests are used to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of soil, including the particle size distribution, plasticity, and moisture content.
- Compressibility and Consolidation tests: These tests are used to measure the settlement and consolidation characteristics of soil.
- Strength tests: These tests are used to measure the strength of soil and rock. Common strength tests include the unconfined compression test, the triaxial test, and the direct shear test.
- Compaction tests: These tests are used to measure the density and compaction characteristics of soil.
Overall, the specific tests that are conducted in a geotechnical laboratory will depend on the needs of the project and the materials being tested.
Our lab equipment
Besides the common devices used for assessing the physical properties of soil (i.e. sieves and screens, shaker, marked glass cylinders, hydrometers, fall cone penetrometer, digital balances, forced draft ovens etc.) our lab equipment contains some specialized devices for lab and in situ testing:
- 32 Oedometers with 1-dimensional consolidation cells, with mechanical and hydraulic loading systems and digital data acquisition during consolidation
- 16 direct shear boxes with mechanical loading systems and digital data acquisition
- Triaxial compression system for soils with digital data acquisition
- CBR for lab and in situ testing
- Manual and automated Proctor devices
- Unconfined compression system for rock cores
- Hoek cell for triaxial compression on rock cores
- 2 sets for plate load tests – 300, 600 and 762 mm diameter
- Dynamic probing equipment (DPL, DPH and DPSH)
- Electronic static piezocone equipment (CPTu) mounted on a 200kN crawler
