Centrifuge Testing

Modeling of complex geotechnical problems on a small scale is difficult due to the non-linearity and stress dependency of soil’s behavior. Nonetheless, the response of a soil-structure system can be simulated on a small scale by Centrifuge Modeling. Such a testing process utilizes centrifugal forces to re-create the in-situ stress conditions.

A centrifuge model can replicate the initial stress conditions by increasing the gravitational acceleration by n times in a 1/n scaled model. This is achieved by applying a gravitational field created by the rotation of the model. Consequently, the real-scale effective stresses and groundwater pressures of the soil are achieved and therefore the behavior of the system can be investigated in a highly-controlled and instrumented environment.

Using centrifuge modeling, the actual stress-strain behavior and failure mechanism of soil-structure systems can be captured. Therefore, centrifuge modeling can provide information about stress-strain relationships of difficult-to-test materials and systems. Moreover, given that, in reality, consolidation settlements can last for a significant period of time (years in some cases), centrifuge tests accelerate the consolidation process as the drainage paths are shortened by n times. Consequently, the procedure is accelerated by n² times, a fact which proves highly beneficial in modeling numerous geotechnical engineering applications