Based
at the head office in Coventry, the Company's in-house UKAS
accredited laboratory provides geotechnical and geoenvironmental
testing in
conjunction with or independently of the investigation and consultancy
services.
Strength and compressibility data together with soil classification
and grading are required for foundation design whilst potential aggression
to concrete can be determined from chemical analysis.
Investigation of sites which slope, or where slopes are to be formed,
requires the measurement of long term soil behaviour. For roads and
earthworks the suitability of soils for use in embankments needs to
be assessed together with subgrade characteristics for road pavement
design.
Materials / Properties Tested |
Type of Test / Properties Measured / Range of Measurement |
Standard Specifications / Equipment / Techniques Used |
| Aggregates |
 |
Particle Size Distribution
- washing and sieving |
BS 812:Part 103 Section 103.1:1:1985 |
Particle Size Distribution
- dry sieving |
BS 812:Part 103 Section 103.1:1:1985 |
Moisture Content
- oven drying method |
BS 812:Part 109:1990 |
| Rock |
| |
Point load strength and anisotrophy indices (loads from 0 to
50 kN) |
ISRM Commission on Testing Methods. Suggested Method for Determining
Point Load Strength 1985. |
| Water content - method 1 |
International Society for Rock Mechanics - suggested methods
1, 2 and 3, p83, 1981 |
| Soils
for civil engineering purposes |
|
Organic matter content |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| Mass loss on ignition |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| Sulphate content of soil and ground water gravimetric method |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| Water soluble chloride content |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| Acid soluble chloride content |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| pH Value |
BS 1377:Part 3:1990 |
| California Bearing Ratio (CBR) (loads from 0 to 50kN) |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
Unconfined compressive strength
- load frame method (loads from 0 to 50kN) |
BS 1377:Part 7:1990 |
Undrained shear strength
- triaxial compression without measurement of pore pressure
(loads from 0 to 50kN) |
BS 1377:Part 7:1990 |
Undrained shear strength
- triaxlial compression with multistage loading and without measurement
of pore pressure |
BS 1377:Part 7:1990 |
Moisture content
- oven drying method |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
| Saturation moisture content of chalk |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Liquid limit
- cone penetrometer |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Liquid limit
- cone penetrometer
- one point
|
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
| Plastic limit |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
| Plasticity index and liquidity index |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
| Linear shrinkage |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Density
- linear measurement |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle density
- gas jar |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle density
- small pyknometer |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle density
- large pyknometer |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle size distribution
- wet sieving |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle size distribution
- dry sieving |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
Particle size distribution
- sedimentation
- pipette method |
BS 1377:Part 2:1990 |
| Dry density/moisture content relationship (2.5 kg rammer) |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| Dry density/moisture content relationship (4.5 kg rammer) |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| Dry density/moisture content relationship (vibrating rammer) |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| Maximum and minimum dry densities for granular soils |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| Moisture content value (MCV) |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| MCV/moisture content relation |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| MCV - rapid assessment |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| Chalk crushing value |
BS 1377:Part 4:1990 |
| One-dimensional consolidation properties |
BS 1377:Part 5:1990 |
Shear strength
- small shear box
(loads 0.05 to 50kN) |
BS 1377:Part 7:1990 |
Residual shear strength
- small ring shear apparatus
(loads from 0.05 to 10kN) |
BS 1377:Part 7:1990 |
Stabilised Materials for
civil engineering purposes
- cement stabilised and lime stabilised materials
|
|
Initial consumption of lime |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| California Bearing Ratio (CBR) (loads from 0 to 50kN) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
Moisture content
- oven drying method (definitive) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Plastic limit |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Liquid limit |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Plasticity index |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Degree of pulverisation |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Dry density / moisture content relationship (2.5kg rammer) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Dry density / moisture content relationship (4.5kg rammer) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Dry density / moisture relationship (vibrating hammer - subsidiary
method) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| Moisture condition value (MCV) |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
| MCV/Moisture content relation |
BS 1924:Part 2:1990 |
