Geotechnical Centrifuge
- 4m diameter 50g-ton geotechnical beam centrifuge facility
- 1m diameter educational beam centrifuge
- Automatic sand pluviator
- 150 litre vacuum soil mixer
- 20T 1d consolidation press
- State of the art instrumentation and data capture
- Modular modelling systems (test chambers/actuators) enabling rapid turnaround for test schedules
- £750K EPSRC infrastructure funding 2013-2018
Robot controlled 1g plane strain modelling rig
- 2.1m x 0.6m x (0.25 - 1m) model volume
- Glass windows to enable PIV imaging
- Automatic sand pouring under programmable robot control
- Linear actuator positioning, hydraulic actuator loading
- Cyclic loading capability
Transparent soils laboratory
- Laser sheet illumination (four lasers: power 500mW - 2000mW))
- Coarse and fine model "soils"
- Internal imaging of plane strain and 3D models
- 4D actuation rig
- Geotextile interaction rig
- Debris / granular flow modelling rig (in progress)
Numerical Limit Analysis modelling
- State of the art numerical limit analysis modelling capability
- Strong relationship with spin-off company LimitState Ltd
- BRICK modelling code enabling stress path dependent and rate effect soil modelling
- High-performance multi-processor cluster (joint with CMD group)
Large plane strain modelling facility (in collaboration with University of Salford)
- 8.4m x 2.4m x 1m model volume
- Transparent windows to enable PIV imaging
- Granular and clay backfill modelling capability
- Hydraulic actuator loading
- Cyclic loading capability
Blast and impact dynamics
- Unique explosive and hazards testing laboratory, at Buxton
- Split-Hopkinson pressure bar for material characterisation
- Testing at strain rates up to 1000/sec
- Measurement of structural response at rapid rates of deformation
- High-speed photography, pulse radiography and a variety of strain- and pressure-measuring devices with high speed data recording.
Geotechnics Laboratory
- Stress path cells
- GDS controllers
- Thermally controlled triaxial cells
- Conventional triaxial, shear box, Rowe cells & oedometers
- Granular flow model rig
- High speed camera for dynamic events
Numerical modelling software
- LimitState:GEO
- FLAC3D
- LS-DYNA
Rock Classification and testing
- Rock index properties (Water absorption, porosity)
- Description and petrography (including SEM, XRD)
- Rock strength and modulus ( tensile, compressive: uniaxial and triaxial, including high temperatures and pressures)
- Durability and slaking (including weathering, pyrite and volume changes in fills)