Development of a 25ton consolidation press at the Centre for Energy and Infrastructure Ground Research

1d consolidation frame has been designed and manufactured at the Centre for Energy and Infrastructure Ground Research (CEIGR), University of Sheffield. The consolidation frame allows static consolidation of soil beds. This system comprises of a 25 ton rated press that can accommodate a range of centrifuge payload strong box configurations. The consolidation force is delivered via a hydraulic piston rated to deliver 80 kN force at 10bar supply pressure with a stroke of 500mm. A series of vertical draw-wire transducers are implemented which monitor consolidation settlement. Combined with pore pressure transducers, the user can measure the pore water pressure at the top and at the bottom of the clay sample. A bespoke LabVIEW VI visual display is implemented which offers visual/graphical feedback to the user on the range of sensor information and a live update of consolidation progress; it also incorporates data entry to capture test specific in-formation.