MRI: Development of Advanced Triaxial Testing Device for Comprehensive Characterization of Unsaturated and Expansive Soil Behaviors over a Wider Range of Soil Suction States

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This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant provides funding for the development of advanced triaxial testing device for comprehensive characterization of unsaturated and expansive soil behaviors over a wider range of soil suction states. Most of the expansive soils in the ground are in unsaturated state. Current geotechnical characterization uses simple tests that do not fully simulate mechanical response of soils in unsaturated state. Civil infrastructure damage and repair costs on these soils are millions of dollars annually and most of these are attributed to this poor characterization. With the 2010 NSF-MRI equipment development award, the interdisciplinary research team comprising of faculty from Geotechnical, Earth Sciences, and Electrical Engineering departments of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) will work towards the development of an advanced triaxial testing device which will be used to provide better characterization of unsaturated and expansive soils over a wider range of soil suction states transpired in the field. Such characterization would lead to a better civil infrastructure design on unsaturated soils. The research team including faculty participants and doctoral as well as undergraduate students will participate in tasks comprising of design and development of suction controlling capabilities and automation tasks of testing operations. Researchers will work on both initial calibration and then validation of the unit by performing characterization studies on local expansive soils.The broader impacts of this project include strengthening of fundamental understanding of volume change and strength behaviors of unsaturated expansive soils; offering educational training of skilled graduate and undergraduate students with instrumentation and data acquisition backgrounds; developing teaching modules for high school teachers involved in Science and Mathematics classes; presenting MRI work to K-12 students to enhance their interests in engineering and sciences; and disseminating of the research findings in major conferences and peer reviewed journals.