The Geotechnical Soil and Water Laboratory providing specilalsied geotechnical testing and characterization with state of-the art testing equipment for teaching, research and infrastructure projects. It serves the largest number of disciplines – Geotech, Water, Structure, Water and Environment, Energy in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering.

The Geotechnical Soil and Water Laboratory has had significant investment over the past 10 years on equipment and staff to support out teaching and research activities by conduction laboratory tests and in-situ tests. Capabilities includes soil and rock characterization for complex infrastructure, and decommissioning and rehabilitation projects. The Geotechnical Soil and Water laboratory also successfully in assisting research funding application and performing the consulting projects from government and industry.

Equipment list

• Universal testing machine
• Triaxial testing systems
• Thermal properties – Soils, rocks and other solid and liquid materials
• Pile filed test system
• Plate load testing system
• Simple and direct shea system
• Thermal response test system (TRT)
• Geothermal Energy mobile system (GEMS)
• Light weight deflectometer (LWD)
•  Geophysical testing system
• Automated and traditional oedometer system
• Ground penetrating radar system (GPR)
• Geonics EM38-MK2 and EM31-MK2
• Radio Detection – RD7100
• Other consolidation testing system – Rowe and Barden type
• 100kN cyclic environmental triaxial testing system
•  Large Scale soil testing Chamber (3X4X5 m) – in progress will be available in 2022

Our Projects

• Soil-Structure Interaction (Mini Driven Piles)
• Energy Geo-Structures
• Retaining wall monitoring
• Waste tyre permeable pavement
• Soil-structure interaction with opt6ic fibres
• Pipe-jacking Monitoring

Our Clients and industry partners

• GHD
• Worley Parsons
• Golder Associates
• AECOM
• ATC Williams
• Melbourne Metro Rails Authority
• Ground Source Systems
• Tyre Stewardship Australia