Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

The 4000 square foot Spangler Geotechnical Laboratory includes drilling and test equipment for in situ characterization of soil engineering properties. Drilling operations are carried out in a wide range of soils using a Mobile B-40 Explorer Rotary Drill Rig.

A wide range of Shelby tube sizes and conventional split spoon sample devices are used for specimen collection. In situ testing equipment for soil characterization includes the following:

• Borehole Shear Test (soil shear strength parameters-- cohesion and friction angle on drained or effective stress basis)
• Ko Stepped Blade (in situ lateral effective stress)
• Texam Pre-bored Pressuremeter (soil modulus and limit pressure)
• Dilatometer (soil strength, modulus, and lateral stress)
• Vane Shear Device (undrained shear strength)
• Plate Bearing Tests (modulus of subgrade reaction)
• Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (soil stiffness)
• Clegg Hammer (soil stiffness)
• Nuclear Density Gauge (soil moisture and density)

Spangler Experimentation Site

Researchers at the Spangler Laboratory also have access to a 100 meter by 30 meter outdoor experimentation site.

Site conditions consist predominantly of medium/stiff glacial till soils with a fluctuating GWT of two to four meters.

This site provides students opportunities to observe drilling and in situ testing operations and researchers the opportunity to carry out full-scale load testing of Micropiles, grouted uplift anchors, concrete piles, and other foundation systems. Detailed soil profiles including CPT, DMT, BST, SPT and various soil index properties have been developed for the experimentation site.

Contact

Contact Assistant Professor David White for more information, 515-294-1463, djwhiteiastate.edu.

The lab's phone number is 515-294-0695.

Map to Splangler Geotechnical lab.