All News

Testing in Constant Normal Stiffness (CNS) conditions have been widely used to better represent the effects of soil contraction/dilatation on the normal stress at the interface between the soil and the piles. A new (2021) upgrade to the control system and the firmware of GDS’ Electromechanical Dynamic Cyclic Simple Shear Device (EMDCSS) allows the apparatus to perform both static and dynamic simple shear tests in CNS conditions. 

GDS Instruments and Solotest (Local Agent) has assisted the geotechnical team at Vale (the world's largest producer of iron ore, pellets, and nickel) in setting up an advanced soils laboratory at their research premises in Belo Horizonte Brasil, with the purpose of enhancing their in-house capabilities for soil characterisation. 

GDS have a unique system for testing large samples without the use of a triaxial cell. The unsaturated sample is prepared within a specially designed compaction mould, before effective stress is applied to the sample by means of a GDS vacuum controller, which can accurately apply negative pressure between atmospheric pressure (0kPa) and -75kPa, depending on the source vacuum pump being used. This allows the sample to be consolidated with negative pore pressure and confining pressure at atmospheric. 

GDS have released (Jan 2021) a new revamped version of the tool with improved usability, graphics and added features. The tool now supports consolidation data from the most common specimen types (Oedometer, Consolidometer, Triaxial, Direct Shear, Simple Shear, Ring Shear) and four widely-adopted standards (ASTM, ISO, British Standard, Australian Standard). Both Casagrande (log-time) and Taylor (root-time) graphical interpretation methods are supported.

GDS have implemented a new “TraditionalCell Loadframe Control Parameter Tool” in GDSLab, to enhance control when performing stress based tests (with a traditional loadframe) using velocity feedback control.

We have put together a short video demonstrating how to install or update your copy of GDSLab software. Below are the links refereed to in the video.

Structural Soils has expanded their geotechnical testing capacity following delivery of their latest order from GDS. Multiple static and dynamic systems were received (see images below), accompanied by some advanced transducers, to further enhance their testing capabilities.

GDS has successfully passed it's ISO 9001: 2015 accreditation renewal.

Dan Zanett a Geotechnical Systems Engineer at GDS Instruments, talks through the steps of making a sand sample for triaxial testing. Two different camera angles have been used to give you a detailed view of the process.

GDS have implemented new functionality in the Triaxial Saturation and Consolidation (Satcon) test module, to allow optional Axial control during Saturation and Consolidation. This gives the Satcon test module the option of either undocked Isotropic test control or docked Isotropic/Anisotropic test control.