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Solution:
GeoDesign acquired a
fully-automated
triaxial cyclic, RM,
stress path system
from Geocomp in
2002. The company
now uses the system
to conduct RM,
strength and
consolidation
testing.
Management selected
Geocomp’s system
from among the
available
alternatives because
it is well-designed
and supported, said
George Saunders,
Principal
Geotechnical
Engineer at
GeoDesign.
Benefits:
GeoDesign’s new
equipment has
dramatically
increased the firm’s
ability to complete
detailed RM,
strength and
consolidation
testing. And it has
increased the design
team’s confidence in
its soil testing
results.
We
feel much more
comfortable with the
data,” Saunders
said. “Soil is not
well behaved,” he
explained. “It’s
what Mother Nature
put in the ground
for you. This
apparatus allows us
to at least tame it
a bit. It helps us
to define the
material to a higher
and more efficient
degree,” he said.
The
Geocomp system is
also more efficient
in terms of labor.
“You can have all
the loads done and
the job completed
over night without
having to baby sit
the test itself,”
Saunders said. “None
of our other
equipment includes
feed-back loop
automation, and
accordingly, it can
not be fully
automated like the
Geocomp system is,”
he said.
Initially, Saunders
found the prospect
of transitioning to
a new automated
system a bit
intimidating. “It’s
a fairly significant
piece of hardware
and software, and it
takes time to get
comfortable with it
and make sure you’re
doing the tests
correctly,” he said.
Support provided by
Geocomp’s technical
team, led by Dr.
Rachid Hankour, has
made all the
difference, Saunders
said. “Rachid
Hankour is the best
out there,” he said.
“I know I can call
him and he’ll give
me the skinny in a
way that will allow
us to get something
done quickly.”
Having new soil
testing capabilities
may allow GeoDesign
to take on some
additional work,
Saunders said.
“People in this area
don’t have [the
resources to test]
the seismic
parameters that you
can test with this
Geocomp equipment.
There is nobody in
town who has that
capability. There
may be some ability
to market that as an
attribute,” Saunders
said.
A
year after
purchasing its new
geotechnical testing
system, GeoDesign
reports that it is
performing
admirably. I’m happy
with the machine,”
Saunders said. “The
system is extremely
good at providing
quick, accurate
reports of the test
results … [It]
definitely exceeds
our expectations.”
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