I know ASTM and AASHTO test methods are similar....but not precisely the same.
Is there a chart comparing the similarities and difference for "standard" soils tests---i.e. Identification/ grain size/ Gsp/ ?
Years ago, I saw a copy of a Harvard Soils primer. It was a pamphlet put out by some Harvard students and made good sport of some of the conventions and tests for soils..I remember one particular discussion of a "disposable technician" triaxial soils test .....another showed the...
Does anyone know how ASTM defines the Constant-Temperature Room? How much temperature variation is allowed. I am preparing for AASHTO Resource certification of our soils labs. Our lab has its own Heat and A/C controlled to 72 degrees F. I want to avoid the cost of the water bath for hydrometers.
Having secured our Accreditation for Concrete testing, I am now starting the process for SOILS. We do not require accreditation in a great number of Standards, just basic Identification and Moisture-Density should be sufficient.
I will pursue both ASTM and AASHTO methods for proctors as both...
We have a concrete job where some sort of controversy has arisen over the use of the standard ( for us, anyway) dial-type thermometer. I have no details, but the tech was told he MUST use only a digital type as it was more accurate. I disputed this with him, saying that the digital type may be...
I have come into possession of a very old Ro-Tap, made under license by Eberbach & Sons, Ann Arbor, MI. S/N 8817.
For those who might be familiar with these old machines, it is the model with the oil-filled base.
Tyler says it is obsolete and they can supply no parts.,
The only thing I need...
We have a job that is generating a LOT of cylinders--a set of 9 for every pour--. The manager of this office wants to keep the hold cylinders even after the 28 day tests were acceptable. OK--he is being cautious, and that is good.
The question is .....after 28 days of moist-curing, can...
New lab for me, and I need to get it ready for CCRL.
We use 5 tanks for lab curing of the cylinders. They are in a temperature-controlled room. If we can keep the room within the temp specs for curing do I also need to monitor the tanks? Our tanks are separate--no circulation between the...
I am with a new engineering firm and we are moving into new--unused spaces.
I have the opportunity to design the new lab. Although I have been working in this field since Carter was the President, I like to take advantage of the knowledge that others have acquired along the way.
So--if you had...
I've never seen it before, but at my current employer we are breeding critters in the curing tanks. First it was mosquitoes and now its gnats. How can anything live in that alkaline water?
Has anyone else seen this, and how do you get rid of the little critters?
If there is a thread on this, I apologize, but I couldn't find it.
I see there are a number of non-nuclear moisture-density devices now on the market. Does anyone have any hands-on experience they'd like to share? ( I am not talking Sand cones.....)
Most of the sales brochures stress the lack...
I know I can't be the first person to ask....
I do geo-technical inspections, and generally we do not permit installation of pipe on frozen ground.
I have a project that has a large field of geo-thermal wells. The contractor has to connect them all. He excavated the trench for one of the pipe...
As announced nearly a year ago, I am working at getting the lab here AASHTO certification. ( It was a long year with a LOT of field work--so not much progress in the lab....)
As I assemble the length and Mass standards to verify that our measurements, I need to know what precision I need.
The...
For Type B Air Meter, how much leakage is acceptable?
I know that as the cir cools, it will lose a little pressure, but after allowing some time for the air to cool, how much leakage is acceptable? If the gauge needle drop 0.1 % in a say 30 seconds, is that OK? Most air meters I see have a...
What can be the cause for over-center type of clamps that are used to latch the lid on Type B Air Meters failing to stay latched? I have 2 clamps on different that will latch, but pop up after a couple of seconds. I can't send those meters out to the field until I have confidence that the...
I have been tasked with getting a soils lab ready for AMRL certification. The issue is, this Engineer--and he really is a good/ knowledgeable soils engineer--has carved out a market niche over the years that makes certification difficult. After making a short speech to the staff on the...
As i noted in another thread, I am new to the forum, but not to the industry. I have working in the geotechnical field for over 30(!!) years. However, my recent experience has had me in other types of inspections. Now that i am returning to my geotechnical roots, I need some help selecting...
I am new to the forum, but been in the field since Carter was president.( Oh my!!!) I have been tasked with bringing an existing lab up to certification--both soils and concrete. My experience has been using tanks for moist curing, but I am intrigued with the idea of a moist room. One of the...
