Quick Tour of Umass Amherst Advanced Soil Testing Laboratory

Overview

The Geotechnical Engineering Group maintains an extensive suite of laboratory equipment for teaching and research purposes. In additional to traditional geotechnical test equipment, the laboratory has modern transducers, electronics, and computer controlled equipment for advanced laboratory studies of soil behavior. Remote control and access to test PCs are set up for equipment control and data inspection.

The equipment is used in the graduate laboratory class CEE622 Geotechnical Materials Testing and research projects studying the stress-strain-strength behavior of soils. The following test systems highlight some of the equipment currently being used.

Advanced Automated Triaxial Testing System (i.e., Ck0UC/E and CAUC)

Geonor Direct Simple Shear (DSS)

Advanced Constant Rate of Strain Consolidation Test (CRSC)

Odometer Test System

Flexible Wall Hydraulic Conductivity Cell

Bender Element Test for Shear Wave Velocity Measurement

Laboratory Miniature Full Flow and Push Cone Penetrometer Tests