Geotechnical Engineering Lab
The Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory at IIT Tirupati is equipped with the basic and state-of-the-art equipment for Undergraduate and Post-graduate studies to characterize the physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of soils under static and seismic loading conditions. In addition to the basic equipment, the laboratory is also fully equipped with advanced testing facilities for research purposes. The laboratory facilities are created with the motive to train and prepare civil engineering students to meet the industry’s need in providing solutions to real-life geoengineering, geohazards, and geoenvironmental-related issues.
The basic equipment for conducting routine soil characterization includes:
- Soil classification - to classify the soil based on grain size distribution analysis using a set of sieves, sieve shaker, hydrometer analysis, and Atterberg limit tests.
- Automatic compactor - to determine the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of soils for earthwork applications.
- Automatic soil sample extruder - manual-cum-hydraulic 60 kN capacity soil sample extruder for extracting samples from 38 mm diameter to 150 mm diameter and up to 600 mm length.
- Permeability tests - the permeability of coarse-grained soil and fine-grained soils are measured using the constant head and falling head apparatus respectively.
- Consolidation settlement - 3-gang unit to determine the magnitude and rate of 1D-consolidation settlement of fine-grained soil deposits.
- Direct shear testing - used to determine the shear strength parameters of cohesionless soils and also the interface friction parameters between soil-concrete, and soil-geotextile on small scale.
Advanced geotechnical testing equipment:
- Automated Stress-path Triaxial Equipment
- Used to measure the stress-strain, volume change, or pore pressure behavior of soils under varied combination stresses.
- Can be used to test the specimens of soils of diameter from 38 mm diameter to 150 mm diameter.
- Can also be used to measure the permeability using the constant gradient method.
- Can be used to apply axial load up to 50 kN and confining pressures up to 2000 kPa.
- Automated Cyclic Triaxial Equipment
- to determine the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of soils
Automated stress-path static triaxial apparatus with permeability measurement
100 kN load frame for large-size triaxial testing
Automated electro-mechanical 20 kN actuator cyclic triaxial apparatus with bender element facility
Automated double-wall chamber unsaturated triaxial apparatus with 50 kN load frame
