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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