In February 2019, GDS completed the installation of a Large Diameter Cyclic Triaxial Testing System at the University of South Carolina. The system was purchased to expand the laboratory capability to tests ballast samples with diameter of 150mm and 300mm.
It was the first time GDS' 250kN Hydraulic Load Frame was configured for use with a large triaxial cell for sample up to 300mm. The Load frame featured lifting actuators for the cell top and a sliding table for the base to minimize the need for lifting equipment in the laboratory and to make sample preparation easier. The system was supplied with a GDS Infinite Volume Controller for back pressure and a GDS Pneumatic Controller with 2 Air-Water Interfaces for cell pressure.
About The University of South Carolina (Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing)
With seven departments and more than 40 academic programs, the College of Engineering and Computing is educating the next generation of innovators. Their esteemed faculty are leading research that pushes the boundaries of their fields and supports the top industries in South Carolina and beyond. GDS has a long history of supplying advanced systems to the University of South Carolina, starting in 1984 with one of the first GDS Pressure Controllers (as shown in the picture below). With GDS' Enterprise Level Dynamic Triaxial Testing System, Advanced Dynamic Triaxial Testing System and their recent addition of a 250kN HLF, the laboratory is fully equipped and capable of running advanced dynamic triaxial tests on a range of sample sizes in multiple pressures ranges.
GDS pressure controllers, purchased in 1984.