Geomechanics Laboratory

Advanced laboratory testing of soils under realistic stress paths, from very small strains to large displacements and from monotonic to dynamic and cyclic loading. The laboratory provides soil characterisation and supports the development of complex soil constitutive models that underpin our prototype-scale testing, numerical modelling and design of geotechnical systems.

Equipment

Cubical cell

True triaxial testing with independent control of the three principal stresses enables investigation of soil anisotropy, stress-path dependency and the influence of the intermediate principal stress on soil behaviour.

Keywords:

True triaxial testing
Soil anisotropy
Multiaxial loading

Hollow cylinder torsional apparatus

Independent control of four stress variables, enabling investigation of complex stress paths, principal stress rotation and soil behaviour under static and cyclic loading conditions.

Keywords:

Principal stress rotation
Static and cyclic loading
Small-strain stiffness

Dynamic cyclic triaxial

Cyclic and dynamic testing of soil specimens to investigate stiffness degradation, damping, cyclic strength and liquefaction resistance under repeated loading, including earthquake-induced stresses.

Keywords:

Dynamic and cyclic loading
Stiffness degradation
Liquefaction resistance

Bishop ring shear

Shearing of soil specimens and soil–structure interfaces to very large displacements, enabling the determination of residual shear strength and interface friction under controlled normal loading.

Keywords:

Large displacements
Residual shear strength
Soil–structure interfaces

Winged direct shear

Direct shear testing of soils and soil–structure interfaces to investigate shear strength, frictional resistance and deformation behaviour under controlled normal stress and displacement conditions.

Keywords:

Interface friction
Shear strength
Large displacements

Cyclic simple shear

Simple shear testing of soil specimens under monotonic and cyclic loading to investigate stiffness degradation, damping, cyclic strength and liquefaction resistance under representative ground deformation conditions.

Keywords:

Simple shear loading
Cyclic soil behaviour
Liquefaction resistance

Cable/pipe-soil interaction rig

Model-scale testing of soil interaction with buried or seabed cables and pipelines to investigate interface resistance, displacement behaviour and soil–structure interaction under controlled loading conditions.

Keywords:

Cable–soil interaction
Pipe–soil interaction
Interface resistance

Thermal properties measurements

Measurement of soil thermal conductivity, thermal resistivity and moisture content to investigate heat transfer behaviour and support the design of buried power cables and ground energy systems.

Keywords:

Thermal conductivity
Thermal resistivity
Heat transfer