ISSN: 1945-7545
Published Online: 12 January 2005
Page Count: 10

A Novel Triaxial Apparatus for Thermo-Mechanical Testing of Soils

Cekerevac, C
Researcher, Senior Researcher and Lecturer, and Professor, Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—EPFL, Lausanne,

Laloui, L
Researcher, Senior Researcher and Lecturer, and Professor, Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—EPFL, Lausanne,

Vulliet, L
Researcher, Senior Researcher and Lecturer, and Professor, Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—EPFL, Lausanne,

(Received 3 November 2003; accepted 5 August 2004)

Abstract

This paper describes a new triaxial apparatus for testing the thermo-mechanical behavior of soils. This triaxial apparatus accommodates samples 55 mm in diameter and 110mm in height. The cell is designed to perform compression tests under pressures up to 2 MPa and with temperatures ranging from 5°C to 90°C. The calibration of the device, as well as its precision and accuracy, is widely discussed in the paper. The related experimental procedures are also discussed. Finally, the results of tests performed on Kaolin are presented in order to highlight the features of the apparatus and to show some induced thermal effects on soils.

Keywords:
thermo-mechanical testing, equipment layout, Kaolin, triaxial test, induced thermal effects

Paper ID: GTJ12311
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ12311
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