The Auburn University Department of Civil Engineering has two geotechnical engineering laboratories with approximately 5,000 square feet of floor space. The laboratories are equipped with standard soils testing equipment for soil classification, compaction, and shear strength. A 15-foot high, 10-foot diameter, upward gradient liquefaction tank is available.
Geotechnical Laboratories include an undergraduate laboratory with equipment to run routine soil tests such as classification, compaction, CBR, unconfined compression, permeability, and dispersion, and a graduate laboratory with equipment to run advanced and detailed tests such as triaxial and direct shear, and consolidation. In-situ equipment includes a standard penetration test, Iowa borehole shear test, and dynamic cone. The laboratory has a power auger for earth-drilling.
Using a liquefaction tank instrumented for pore and total pressure measurements, the Geotechnical Group is researching pile capacity and soil liquefaction around piles.
The Textile Engineering Department provides some geotextile testing facilities, including most strength tests and AOS.
The National Center for Asphalt Technology provides many aggregate classification and strength tests, with emphasis on pavements.
