Seminar - Walid Haidar - Research and development into miniature triaxial apparatus

Wednesday 3 June 2009, 1.10 pm - 1.55 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 3

Special presentation by our undergraduate Summer Scholars.

Abstract:
Conventional triaxial testing apparatus are limitied to the long period required for tests on soil samples. On the other hand, The miniature triaxial test is capable of testing samples as small as 5mm in diameter and 10mm in height, thus significantly reducing the time for saturation and shearing of the sample. Therefore, The primary motivation for undergoing this research was to investigate and develop methods in which the reliability of miniature tri-axial tests can be improved thus providing more accurate and consistent results to similar tri-axial tests.

The main areas of concern and improvement were reducing the saturation period, analysing the effect of membrane and area changes on the sample and correcting accordingly, reducing and managing cell pressure fluctuation which in adversely changes the deviator stress reading, and other smaller modifications in the code which improve the process of testing.