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College of Engineering and Computer Science Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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Laboratory Capabilities

The geotechnical engineering laboratory infrastructure at California State University, Fullerton is equipped to provide high quality testing including:

• Determination of standard index properties such as Atterberg’s Limits, sieve and hydrometer analysis and specific gravity

• Measurement of standard and modified proctor compaction characteristics • In-situ density measurement using sand cone density and/or rubber balloon

density devices • Consolidation characteristics • Routine constant head and falling head permeability testing • Modeling seepage pressures under dams and verifying flow nets using a

specialized seepage tank • Variety of drained and undrained shear strength measurements using

equipment including direct shear, simple shear, unconfined compression, and triaxial compression apparatuses

• Variety of seismic shear strength measurements using dynamic equipment including cyclic simple shear and cyclic triaxial apparatuses

• Specialized dynamic testing using a one dimensional shake table for various applications including seismic slope stability and ground motion improvement

• Modeling rainfall induced geo-disasters such as rainfall induced landslides using a rain simulator system

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Details of Geotechnical Laboratory Equipment

Index Properties

Sieve Analysis • 2 large scale mechanical shakers • 2 small size mechanical shakers • Sets of 8 inch diameters brass sieves

Capabilities to obtain grain size distribution curves

Hydrometer Analysis • Hydrometer analysis sets • Hydrometer jar bath

Capabilities to measure the proportion of particles smaller than 0.075 mm

Specific Gravity • Specific gravity test sets • Pycnometer set

Capabilities to measure the specific gravity of soil solids

Liquid Limit • Motorized liquid limit device • Standard liquid limit device sets

Used to measure the liquid limit of the soil mass

Plastic Limit • Plastic limit device sets

Used to measure the plastic limit of the soil mass

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Compaction and Consolidation

Proctor Compaction • 4 Standard and modified proctor

device sets • Equipped with different size molds

Can measure laboratory compaction characteristics using standard and modified proctor methods

Harvard Miniature Compaction • 2 Harvard miniature compaction

device set • Equipped with different energy

tamper assemblies Can measure moisture-density relationship; Prepare compacted samples for other tests

Sand Cone Density • Sand cone density device set

Capabilities to measure in-situ density of soil Rubber Balloon Density

• Rubber balloon density set Capabilities to measure the in-situ density of compacted soil

Consolidation • 4 fully automated consolidometers • Automated data acquisition system • 1 manual large scale batch

consolidometer Used to measure consolidation characteristics and permeability; Prepare batch consolidated samples for other tests

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Seepage and Permeability

Constant Head Permeability

• Constant head permeability test set Capability to measure hydraulic conductivity of coarse-grained materials Falling Head Permeability

• Falling head permeability test set Capability to measure hydraulic conductivity of fine-grained materials

Tempe Pressure Cell • 3 Tempe pressure cell sets

Capability to determine soil-water characteristic curves

Seepage Tank • Large scale (25 ft long and 5 ft wide)

seepage tank with coffer dam section

Can model seepage pressure under dam; Seepage calculations for dam sections; Verify flow nets; Calculate head difference required for coffer dam blow out

Shear Strength

Direct Shear • 2 fully automated direct shear

devices • Automated data acquisition system

Capabilities to obtain residual, fully softened and peak shear strength parameters

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Direct Simple Shear • 1 fully automated direct simple

shear device • Automated data acquisition system • Modification for direct shear testing

Capabilities to measure drained and undrained shear strength parameters; Can obtain skin friction resistance parameters

Unconfined Compression • 1 high stress unconfined

compression device • 1 manual unconfined compression

device • 1 fully automated unconfined

compression device with data acquisition system

Used to measure the unconfined compressive strength

Triaxial Compression • 3 fully automated triaxial

compression devices • Equipped with different sample size

assemblies • Automated data acquisition system

Capabilities to conduct UU, CU and CD triaxial testing to obtain shear strength parameters

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Cyclic Simple Shear • 1 fully automated cyclic simple

shear device • Equipped with different sample size

assemblies • Automated data acquisition system • Circular and square shear box

assemblies Capabilities to obtain cyclic strength curves and post-cyclic shear strengths; Can apply stress-controlled or strain-controlled cyclic loading; Limited to 1 Hz frequency; Can be used to measure drained and undrained static shear strength parameters

Cyclic Triaxial • 1 fully automated cyclic triaxial

device • Automated data acquisition system

Capabilities to obtain cyclic strength curves for isotropically and anisotropically consolidated samples; Can apply stress-controlled or strain-controlled loading

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Specialized Testing Equipment

Specific Surface Area

• Fully automated specific surface area device

• Automated data acquisition system Used to measure the specific surface area

Shake Table • 8 ft by 6 ft one direction shake table

with data acquisition system • 8 tri-axial accelerometers

Simulates dynamic loading of different forms such as earthquakes, sinusoidal waves and trapezoidal waves with different amplitudes and frequencies

Rain Simulator • 16 sprinkler system used as a rain

simulator • 8 tensiometers with data acquisition

system Capabilities to apply various intensity rainfall over a 3.5 ft by 3.5 ft area Manual Cone-penetrometer

• A manual cone penetrometer Capabilities to measure cone penetration resistance