Piotr Dera, the Geotechnical Systems Team Lead at GDS Instruments, recently installed a custom-built, temperature-controlled Enterprise Level Dynamic Triaxial Testing System (ELDYN) at Montana State University. The 5Hz, 10kN dynamic system can accommodate samples up to 100mm and operates at a temperature range of -20C to +65C. The system has been upgraded to perform unsaturated testing and modified to measure thermal conductivity.
The MSU team plans to use the ELDYN system to study the thermo-hydro-mechanical properties of soils, both frozen and unfrozen, at varying water and ice contents and temperatures. To achieve this, the university supplied GDS with a thermal needle (temperature probe) and data logger, which the in-house design team at GDS was able to integrate into the system. This approach allows for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of the sample under in-situ stress and during isotropic compression.
About Montana State University Civil Engineering Department
Montana State University is set in the heart of Bozeman, a small town located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The Civil Engineering programme aims to ensure that students learn how to design and build structures that last and compliment the natural elements they are surrounded by. The main focus of the Civil Engineering department is to mould students into a vital contribution to society through becoming leaders in their field and able to apply the principles they learn at the university into their everyday lives.