GDS Instruments recently installed a Hardin-style Resonant Column Apparatus, with sample ranges up to 100mm at the University of Glasgow. The apparatus was purchased with a Bender Elements upgrade allowing small strain stiffness behaviour to be analysed in detail.
The Resonant Column test provides shear moduli over a range of very small strains which can link with local strain data from advanced triaxial tests to give a broad picture of a material’s stiffness characteristics. Powerful, rare earth magnets combined with electromagnetic coils and accelerometers allow precise non-contact control of strain and measurement of the resonant frequency of soil and weak rock specimens over a range of strains. The Hardin-style device allows testing under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states.
At present the system is used in a PhD project to characterise soil and rock stiffness for use in offshore foundation design. The PhD project is linked to the EPSRC funded SOURCE project (PI: Dr Róisín Buckley) that aims to reduce the uncertainty associated with in situ stiffness measurements.
The Resonant Column test is part of the range of advanced soil testing capabilities offered by GDS making them a one-stop solution for all your geotechnical testing needs, irrespective of the size or complexity of your project. For more information about the University of Glasgow, and their capabilities in terms of research into soil and rock behaviour, you can visit their website here.