The machine, which arrived from Italy last year, is designed to test the strength of slope materials and their properties. It measures the energy at which soil and aggregates will shear under pressure - letting engineers improve the stability of slopes, retaining walls, and other civil engineering structures.
WSP Petone-based team leader for testing services Zac Francis says the new triaxial machine is a big leap forward in WSP Research's triaxial testing capabilities.
"It’s much larger and more sophisticated than anything we’ve had before, allowing us to work more efficiently, test to additional standards and provide more detailed and accurate results.”
The new machine joins a fleet of fifteen triaxial testing machines that WSP operates across its Wellington, Hamilton, and Auckland labs. While other WSP labs have similar machines, the new one in Petone can handle non-conventional sample sizes and test large aggregate material such as basecourse and subbase.
Unlike older manual equipment, the new machine is fully automated. It's able to run multiple tests at once with real-time calculations. This marks a significant efficiency gain for WSP Research, with technicians able to process more samples and provide faster turnaround times for clients.
“The new system means we can now test a wider range of materials, and we’re even looking at setting up for rock triaxial testing later this year on one our other larger testing machines,” says Zac. "Previously, we had to send rock samples to Australia, but with additional gear we’ll be able to do it in-house.”
WSP currently runs triaxial testing on projects ranging from residential housing developments to major government infrastructure projects, including Roads of National Significance contracts - playing a crucial role in ensuring the stability of civil engineering projects across the country.
