Tri Axial Software Manual

Triaxial
Software
User’s Manual
Copyright © 1982-2014
Control and Report Software for Fully

Automated Triaxial UU, CU, CD and
Stress Path Soil Tests on LoadTrac-II/
FlowTrac-II Systems
Using Windows ® XP/Vista/7
www.geocomp.com | 125 Nagog Park | Acton, MA 01720 U.S.A.

TRIAXIAL User’s Manual © 2014 Geocomp Corp. 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF FIGURES ......................................................... 5

GEOCOMP CORP. SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT .................. 9
LIMITED WARRANTY ...................................................... 11
SECTION 1: OVERVIEW .................................................. 12
SECTION 2: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ............................ 14
2.1. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System Hardware .............................. 14
2.2. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System TRIAXIAL Software .................. 16
SECTION 3: USE OF TRIAXIAL SOFTWARE ........................... 19
3.1. TRIAXIAL Installation (if not already installed) ........................ 19
3.1.1. System Requirements ................................................. 19
3.1.2. Software Installation .................................................. 19
3.2. System Startup ............................................................... 20
3.2.1. Hardware Boot ......................................................... 20
3.2.2. Software Launch ....................................................... 21
3.3. Menu Bar ...................................................................... 22
3.3.1. File Menu ................................................................ 22
3.3.2. View Menu .............................................................. 24
3.3.3. Run Menu ................................................................ 29
3.3.4. Calibrate Menu ......................................................... 31
3.3.5. Control Menu ........................................................... 34
3.3.6. Report Menu ............................................................ 35
3.3.7. Options Menu ........................................................... 44
3.3.8. Help Menu ............................................................... 50
3.4. Properties Sheet ............................................................. 50
3.4.1. Project Page ............................................................ 51
3.4.2. Specimen Page ......................................................... 53
3.4.3. Water Content Page ................................................... 54
3.4.4. Read Table Page ....................................................... 55
3.4.5. Test Parameters Page ................................................. 56
3.4.6. Initialization Page ..................................................... 58
Geocomp Corporation 125 Nagog Park Acton, MA 01720 Tel 978 635 0012 Fax 978 635 0266
3.4.7. Consolidation/A Table Page .......................................... 59

3.4.8. Saturation Page ........................................................ 62
3.4.9. Consolidation/B Table Page .......................................... 64
3.4.10. Shear Table Page ...................................................... 71
SECTION 4: TRIAXIAL CONTROL PROGRAM CHECK ................ 76
4.1. LoadTrac-II Check ........................................................... 76
4.2. FlowTrac-II Check ........................................................... 78
SECTION 5: DEFINING TEST PARAMETERS ........................... 80
SECTION 6: RUNNING A TEST .......................................... 82
6.1. Preparing a Specimen ...................................................... 82
6.1.1. Undisturbed Specimen ................................................ 82
6.1.2. Recompacted Specimen .............................................. 90
6.2. Starting a Test ............................................................... 92
6.3. Monitoring a Test .......................................................... 100
6.4. Modifying a Test ........................................................... 101
6.5. Ending a Test ............................................................... 102
6.6. Dismantling a Specimen Following a Completed Test .............. 103
6.7. Completing Data Entry on the Properties Sheet..................... 104
6.8. Step-by-Step Guide for Triaxial Compression Test ................. 105
6.9. Step-by-Step Guide for Triaxial Extension Test ..................... 107
APPENDIX A: CALIBRATION ............................................ 111
A.1. Basic Principles ............................................................ 111
A.2. Force Transducer.......................................................... 112
A.3. Displacement Transducer ................................................ 114
A.4. Pressure Transducers ..................................................... 116
APPENDIX B: IMPORTING DATA INTO A SPREADSHEET ........... 119
APPENDIX C: CHECK LIST FOR RUNNING A TEST .................. 130
APPENDIX D: LIST OF GEOTECHNICAL SYMBOLS ................... 131
APPENDIX E: EQUATIONS FOR DATA REDUCTION ................. 134
APPENDIX F: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .................... 142
F.1. Hardware.................................................................... 142
F.2. Software..................................................................... 155
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System for Triaxial (All Types) and Stress
Path Testing ................................................................. 14
Figure 2. Installation Diagrams for LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System for
Triaxial (All Types) and Stress Path Testing ........................... 16
Figure 3. TRIAXIAL Control Window ................................................. 18
Figure 4. Front Panels LED’s Status After Initial Boot Sequence .............. 21
Figure 5. Menu Bar ..................................................................... 22
Figure 6. File Menu ..................................................................... 22
Figure 7. View Menu ................................................................... 24
Figure 8. System Monitor Window ................................................... 25
Figure 9. Load Channel Monitor Window........................................... 26
Figure 10. Displacement Channel Monitor Window .............................. 26
Figure 11. Test Monitor Window for Initialization Phase ....................... 27
Figure 12. Test Graph Window for Consolidation Phase ........................ 28
Figure 13. Test T100 Window for Volume Duration Type ...................... 29
Figure 14. Run Menu ................................................................... 29
Figure 15. Calibrate Menu ............................................................ 31
Figure 16. Calibration Summary Window .......................................... 31
Figure 17. Calibration Window ....................................................... 32
Figure 18. Control Menu .............................................................. 34
Figure 19. Load Control Window .................................................... 34
Figure 20. Valves Control Window .................................................. 35
Figure 21. Report Menu ............................................................... 35
Figure 22. Graphical Report of Saturation Phase ................................. 36
Figure 23. Graphical Report of Consolidation Phase ............................. 37
Figure 24. Graphical Report of Shear Phase (Page 1) ........................... 38
Figure 25. View Menu from the Graphical Report................................ 39
Figure 26. Report Settings Window for Stress Path Graphs .................... 40
Figure 27. Report Settings Window for Strain Graphs ........................... 41
Figure 28. View Menu from the Tabular Report .................................. 42
Figure 29. TRIAXIAL Data Window ................................................... 43
Figure 30. Options Menu .............................................................. 44

Figure 31. Units Window .............................................................. 44
Figure 32. Hardware Setup Window ................................................ 45
Figure 33. Piston Settings Window .................................................. 47
Figure 34. PID Options ................................................................. 48
Figure 35. Load PID Settings Window ............................................... 48
Figure 36. Cell Pressure PID Settings Window .................................... 49
Figure 37. Sample Pressure PID Settings Window ................................ 49
Figure 38. Help Menu .................................................................. 50
Figure 39. Properties Sheet Page Tabs ............................................. 50
Figure 40. Project Page ............................................................... 51
Figure 41. Specimen Page ............................................................ 53
Figure 42. Water Content Page ...................................................... 54
Figure 43. Read Table Page........................................................... 55
Figure 44. Delete or Insert a Row ................................................... 56
Figure 45. Test Parameters Page .................................................... 56
Figure 46. Initialization Page ......................................................... 58
Figure 47. Consolidation/A Table Page ............................................. 59
Figure 48. Real-Time Graph with Labels Added .................................. 60
Figure 49. Delete or Insert a Step ................................................... 62
Figure 50. Saturation Page............................................................ 62
Figure 51. Consolidation/B Table Page without K0 Consolidation ............. 65
Figure 52. Consolidation/B Table Page with K0 Consolidation ................. 65
Figure 53. K0 Consolidation Graph .................................................. 66
Figure 54. Real-Time Graph of T100 ................................................ 68
Figure 55. Delete or Insert a Step ................................................... 71
Figure 56. Shear Table Page .......................................................... 71
Figure 57. CU Test Shear Table ...................................................... 72
Figure 58. CD Test Shear Table ...................................................... 73
Figure 59. System Monitor and Load Control Windows (LoadTrac-II Check) 77
Figure 60. Sample Preparation Accessories ....................................... 82
Figure 61. Triaxial Base ............................................................... 83
Figure 62. Membrane Stretcher with Membrane ................................. 84

Figure 63. Specimen with Membrane ............................................... 85
Figure 64. Specimen with Membrane and O-Rings ............................... 86
Figure 65. Specimen Tubing Setup .................................................. 87
Figure 66. Triaxial Cell and Specimen Setup ...................................... 88
Figure 67. Filling the Triaxial Cell with Water .................................... 89
Figure 68. Split Mold and Membrane Assembly ................................... 91
Figure 69. Removing Split Mold ...................................................... 92
Figure 70. Triaxial Cell/Platen Alignment ......................................... 93
Figure 71. Bleeding the Lines ........................................................ 94
Figure 72. Valve Configuration for CU Triaxial Test ............................. 95
Figure 73. Save As window ........................................................... 97
Figure 74. Initialize Flow Pumps Window .......................................... 97
Figure 75. Initializing Flow Pumps Window ....................................... 98
Figure 76. Position Platen Window .................................................. 99
Figure 77. Positioning Platen Window .............................................. 99
Figure 78. Unlock Piston Window ................................................. 100
Figure A 1. Force Transducer Calibration Windows ........................... 113

Figure A 2. Displacement Transducer Calibration Windows .................. 115
Figure A 3. Cell Pressure Transducer Calibration Windows .................. 117
Figure A 4. Sample-Pressure Transducer Calibration Windows .............. 118
Figure B 1. Dump Options ........................................................... 119

Figure B 2. Import Text File Window ............................................. 120
Figure B 3. Convert Wizard, Step 1 ............................................... 121
Figure B 4. Convert Wizard, Step 2 ............................................... 121
Figure B 5. Import Data Window ................................................... 122
Figure B 6. Excel Spreadsheet ..................................................... 122
Figure B 7. Save As Window ........................................................ 124
Figure B 8. Excel Open Window with All Files (*.*) in Bottom Text Field . 124
Figure B 9. Beginning of Information Listing in Excel ......................... 125
Figure B 10. End of Information Listing and Beginning of Data in Excel ... 125
Figure B 11. Excel Save As Window Set to Excel Workbook File Type ..... 126
Figure B 12. View Menu from Tabular Report................................... 126
Figure B 13. Save As Window for Data Reduction Results .................... 127
Figure B 14. Import Text File Window............................................ 128
Figure B 15. Convert Wizard, Step 2.............................................. 129
Figure B 16. Data Reduction File in Excel (Saturation Phase) ............... 129
GEOCOMP CORP. SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This is a legal agreement between the purchaser (“Purchaser”) (either an
individual or an entity) and Geocomp Corp.
By installing and using the enclosed software (“Geocomp Corp. Software”), or by

using the already installed software in the personal computer supplied by Geocomp
Corp., you the Purchaser accept the terms of this Agreement. If you do not agree to
the terms of this Agreement, promptly return the software and any accompanying
hardware that is provided as part of the product to the place the Purchaser obtained
them from.
GRANT OF LICENSE TO USE: The Geocomp Corp. Software product that

accompanies this license is referred to herein as "Geocomp Corp. Software." Geocomp
Corp. grants to you the Purchaser as an individual person, or an entity (such as a
government agency, university, college or corporate organization), a non-exclusive
license to use the Geocomp Corp. Software for the sole purpose of running
geotechnical tests together with acquiring, editing and reporting data acquired from
the tests. Geocomp Corp. grants the Purchaser the limited right to use only one copy
of the Geocomp Corp. Software on a single computer at a single location, in the
manner set forth in this agreement. If the Purchaser is an entity, Geocomp Corp.
grants the Purchaser the right to designate more than one individual within the
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COPYRIGHT: The Geocomp Corp. Software is owned by Geocomp Corp. or its

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LIMITED WARRANTY
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NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN FULL, STOP USING THE GEOCOMP
PRODUCT AND CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO DETERMINE HOW TO PROCEED.
SECTION 1: OVERVIEW
The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system for triaxial testing fully automates a triaxial
test on a soil specimen. Once a soil specimen is in place and the test conditions
selected, the system will run the entire triaxial test from start to finish. Test data
will be stored in a file for subsequent reduction and plotting by way of either the
report capability built into the control software or the separate triaxial report
software.
The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system consists of a LoadTrac-II load frame, two

FlowTrac-II flow pumps for controlling volume and pressure for the cell and specimen,
a computer with a network card for test control and data acquisition, and Microsoft
Windows application software, called TRIAXIAL, for controlling a test and creating a
report of the results. The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system comes as a complete, self-
contained unit with all of the equipment required to perform fully automated triaxial
tests. Test chambers from other manufacturers may be used.
LoadTrac-II utilizes a high speed, precision micro stepper motor to apply the
vertical load to the soil specimen. An embedded control board with a dedicated CPU
takes readings from the force transducer and displacement transducer to control the
stepper motor. The system is capable of applying a constant rate of strain or stress at
any displacement rate from 0.00003 up to 15 mm per minute (0.000001 to 0.6 inches
per minute).
Each FlowTrac-II flow pump utilizes a high speed, precision micro stepper motor to
regulate pressure and volume to the cell or specimen. The built-in microprocessor
controls the micro stepper motor, which drives a piston in and out of a sealed
cylinder. A pressure transducer on the end of the cylinder provides the feedback for
the control of pressure. The number of steps of the motor is used to compute volume
change. Two electronic valves are used to control the direction of flow to the cell or
specimen (output valve), and the manual fill/drain operation (supply valve).
FlowTrac-II is capable of maintaining the desired pressure to within ±0.35 kPa (0.05
psi) while monitoring volume changes to within ±0.001 cc. Pressure increments may
increase or decrease in any pattern by any amount (without exceeding the system’s
limits) as specified by the user even while a test is running.
The TRIAXIAL software contains easy-to-use menus and Property Pages that are
used to define the conditions for running a test on the LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system.
Specimen-specific information can be entered for inclusion on the tabulated and
graphed results. Once a test has been defined, the test procedure can be started with
a single mouse click.
During the test, current status information can be shown on the LCD in the front
panels of both the LoadTrac-II and the two FlowTrac-II flow pumps. Furthermore,
current (real time) data and status information can be displayed on the computer
monitor in numeric form or graphical form by accessing menu options. The user can
terminate a step in a phase (or the current phase) at any time, thus sending the test
to the next step (or phase) rather than waiting for the control program to
automatically advance the test. Subsequent step information can be modified at any
time. This capability allows the user to modify the test specifications based on results
from early steps. (An example of this would be selecting the correct shear rate based
on consolidation data.)
The user can terminate the test at any time. Data can be written to a storage
medium (e.g., CD-ROM, memory stick or external hard drive) at any time during the
test so that they can be transferred to another PC (that has the software installed) for
reduction and plotting while the test continues.
While the test is running, current data and status information can be displayed on
the monitor. Clicking on an option in the View menu will produce a graph of load
and/or displacement versus time for the current step of the test.
The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system requires no special skills to operate other than

those used in conventional testing. A person familiar with soil testing can learn to use
the system confidently within a few days. Experience with a computer keyboard and
the use of the Windows operating system installed on your computer can reduce the
learning time to approximately one day.
SECTION 2: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
2.1. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System Hardware
Figure 1. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System for Triaxial (All Types) and Stress Path Testing
The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II hardware consists of seven parts:
LoadTrac-II load frame (at left in Figure 1): The unit that contains an
embedded control system and the components to generate the force on a
specimen and to measure the force and the displacement. An LCD and a keypad
on the front panel allow the user to manually control the operation of the load
frame and to monitor the system status.
Two FlowTrac-II units (second and third from left in Figure 1): Units that
contain embedded control systems and the components to generate pressure on a
specimen and to control and measure pressure and volume changes. An LCD and a
keypad on the front panel of each unit allow the user to manually control the
operation of the unit and monitor its status.
Triaxial test cell (on platen of load frame in Figure 1): Chamber that confines
the specimen to be tested using the load frame and two FlowTrac-II units.
Computer (fourth from left in Figure 1): Desktop computer with Microsoft
Windows operating system, network card, hard drive and CD-ROM drive.
Keyboard and mouse (in foreground in Figure 1): Standard keyboard and
mouse for entering test information and controlling the LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II
system.
Monitor (at right in Figure 1): Computer monitor.
The diagrams in Figure 2 show the water (a) and electrical (b) connections needed
for the LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system installation.
Geocomp
Geocomp Geocomp
(a) Front View
(b) Back View
Figure 2. Installation Diagrams for LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System for Triaxial (All Types)
and Stress Path Testing
2.2. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System TRIAXIAL Software
The TRIAXIAL software can run many types of tests that utilize a triaxial cell. To
do this, the software divides the test into the following sequential phases:
Initialization: Applies and maintains a small vertical and horizontal stress to

achieve a pressure differential within the triaxial cell chamber so that the user can
check for possible leaks.
Consolidation/A: Consolidates specimen in steps to specified horizontal and

vertical stresses before saturation.
Saturation: Saturates specimen to a specified minimum saturation ratio by

incrementally increasing the cell pressure and pore pressure.
Consolidation/B: Consolidates specimen in steps to specified horizontal and

vertical stresses after saturation.
Shear: Shears specimen, either drained or undrained, with absolute or relative

stress type and under stress or strain control.
While a test can be set up to run through all of these phases, any phase may be
skipped. Many triaxial tests contain one of the consolidation phases but not both. The
consolidation/B phase can be specified as K0 type consolidation. It is possible to run a
stress path test using only the shear phase.
The system software not only controls the running of a test but also has built-in
editing/reporting capability. The control feature of the software runs the test,
collects test data, and stores the data in a file while the test is running. The
editing/reporting feature reads the data from the file, performs necessary calculations
and prepares the final tables and graphs of the test results for inclusion in a report.
The configuration for any test can be used to define the initial conditions of a
subsequent test. This capability allows an operator familiar with the software to set
up and start a test within a few minutes after the specimen has been prepared.
If you have purchased the system computer from Geocomp Corp., the software
package has already been installed and tested at the factory. It is also supplied on the
CD-ROM sent with your equipment to provide a backup of the software.
The software program can be run on any Windows-based computer. However, it

can be used to control the system hardware (for purposes of running a test) only on a
computer that has a system-interfacing card in it and that is running Windows 2000,
XP, 7, or Vista. The editing/reporting capability of the software will function on any
computer running any version of Microsoft Windows. A hard copy of the report can be
produced on any peripheral for which a driver has been installed on the computer
running the software program.
When the program is opened, the control window shown in the Figure 3 will appear
on your computer screen. This window is composed of a menu bar at the top and a
Properties Sheet with various tabs. Each of the menus (File, View, Run, etc.) can be
displayed in the usual way of clicking on the menu label. These menus can also be
displayed using the standard Microsoft Windows hot keys (refer to your Microsoft
Windows manual for details). Each tab on the Properties Sheet (Project, Specimen,
Water Content, Read Table, etc.) specifies a Property Page, which can be displayed by
clicking on the tab.
Each time the software application is opened, all entry fields (those on the
windows opened using menu choices and those on each Property Page) will be blank.
The recommended way to get information into the fields is to load a template file or a
file from a previous test (see Section 3 for file loading instructions). The fields can
then be modified for a particular test by clicking on a field and typing in the
information. (See Section 3 for a description of the use of the various menu options
and each Property Page.)
Figure 3. TRIAXIAL Control Window
SECTION 3: USE OF TRIAXIAL SOFTWARE
3.1. TRIAXIAL Installation (if not already installed)
3.1.1. System Requirements
Before starting to use the system, please take a few minutes to read both this
manual and the hardware manuals (if you have not already done so) in order to
minimize problems that may arise during the use of the system. If the software has
not already been installed on your computer, you will need to read this section. Also,
look at the Readme.txt file (if available) on the CD-ROM disk before you install the
program This file can be viewed by locating it with Windows Explorer and then double
clicking on it.
*Note: This manual assumes a basic knowledge of computer operation and some
understanding of Microsoft Windows. If you do not have such knowledge and
understanding, it is recommended that you work with a person who has such
experience. Learning how to use the software will go much more rapidly.
Geocomp Corp. Software for Windows

Dual core processor computer with available PCI slot running one of the
Computer/Processor
Operating Systems listed below.
Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit) or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64 bit)
Operating System *Note: Administrative rights are required to install and update Geocomp
Corp. control and reporting software.
RAM 2 GB
SVGA high-color 16 bit (32 bit recommended)
Monitor
1024 x 768 screen resolution recommended.
Hard Disk Space 100 MB minimum
CD-R Drive 2X CD-R drive minimum
Direct Internet connection (high-speed connection recommended) for
Internet Connection
email and Skype technical support
Adobe Flash Player 7.0, Adobe Reader 5.0 and Microsoft Excel if not
Third-party Software
already on your computer
Printer Windows-compatible inkjet or laser printer
3.1.2. Software Installation
Boot your computer (if not already running). When it has finished booting, insert
the Geocomp Corp. CD into the CD/DVD drive bay and close the bay.
Display the contents of the Geocomp Corp. CD you have in your computer CD drive
and browse to the Software folder.
Put a copy of that folder on your computer (either on the Desktop or the place you
normally keep software).
In the Software folder will be a folder with the name of the test you will be
running. Open that folder and locate the .exe (application) file with the test name.
Put a shortcut to that file on your computer Desktop.
If you purchased a computer from Geocomp Corp. as a part of your system, the
software has already been installed on the hard drive of the computer. It is also
supplied on a CD as a backup.
3.2. System Startup
These instructions assume that your system has been installed following the
instructions in Appendix A of the hardware manuals, that the software has been
installed, that you have become familiar with the manual operation of the load frame
and flow pump by following instructions in Section 2 of the hardware manuals, and
that the system is ready for operation. Should you have any difficulty with the
operation instructions consult Appendix C (Troubleshooting) of the hardware manuals
or contact Geocomp Corp. for assistance.
3.2.1. Hardware Boot
If your system has been powered down, you can turn on the system in any order.
The boot sequence on LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II will take about 15 seconds. During
the boot, a message on the LCD will say, “Press ESC key to restore settings.”
*WARNING: Do not press the Esc key on the keypad during the boot sequence.
Your load frame software has been configured at the factory for the conditions
of your use. Pressing the Esc key during the boot sequence will remove this
configuration.
If you are using a power strip with a switch, you may use that switch as a main
switch to power the entire system on and off.
LoadTrac-II
While the control system is booting, the Motor Up and Motor Down lights will
alternate on and off while the Motor Power and CPU Power lights will glow a steady
green. Toward the end of the boot sequence, the Net Tx and Net Rx lights will come
on. All four LEDs in the left column must be a steady green for LoadTrac-II to function
properly.
FlowTrac-II
While the control system is booting, the Flow Out and Flow In lights will alternate
on and off while the Motor Power and CPU Power lights will glow a steady green.
Toward the end of the boot sequence, the Net Tx and Net Rx lights will come on. All
four LEDs in the left column must be a steady green for LoadTrac-II to function
properly.
Figure 4. Front Panels LED’s Status After Initial Boot Sequence
3.2.2. Software Launch
TRIAXIAL Has Been Installed by User
To run the TRIAXIAL software, double click the shortcut icon you put on the
desktop. If you did not put one there, use the My Computer window (or Windows
Explorer) to display the files that were copied onto your hard drive from the supplied
CD. Double click the TRIAXIAL application. Alternatively, click Start and then click
Run. In the entry field, type the path to the TRIAXIAL application file (or use the
Browse option to find and enter the path), then click OK.
TRIAXIAL Has Been Installed at Geocomp Corp.
To run the TRIAXIAL software, double click the desktop icon labeled TRIAXIAL.exe.
After the program opens, you will see the window shown in Figure 3.
When you first use the TRIAXIAL program, it is helpful to move through the various
menus and Property Pages to see the options that are available in the program and to
become familiar with their screens. A few minutes moving back and forth through the
various menus and options will build a considerable understanding of the program.
3.3. Menu Bar
Figure 5. Menu Bar
The Menu Bar shown in Figure 5 contains eight menus. The operation of the
system can be controlled with the options chosen from these menus. Each of these
menus has a pull-down list of options.
3.3.1. File Menu
Figure 6. File Menu
The File Menu allows you to transfer parameters and data that are associated with
a test from one location to another. The options shown in Figure 6 above are listed
and described below.
Load will move a copy of a test file (that has been saved) into the TRIAXIAL
program. If you often perform tests with the same test parameters, you can use Load
to move these parameters into the pages of the Properties Sheet and windows opened
with menu options thus avoiding having to type them each time. Note that Load will
read only files that have been saved by the program. While a test is running, Load will
copy the accumulated data into the computer memory where the TRIAXIAL program
resides. This will allow you to view the current status of the test using the features
accessed through the Report menu.
*Note: It is recommended that you use the Load option to load a template
test file or a previously run test before running a new test. This will allow
you to speed up the data entry process, as a lot of information (calibration,
hardware set-up, etc.) does not change often. This also will allow you to
avoid any potential data entry errors.
Save will copy all information and data currently in the program into the file on
your hard drive that has the path and name showing at the top of the control window.
All information already in that file will be overwritten. (If no file has been loaded into
a just-opened program, the first time you click Save after you type information into
the Properties Sheet of the program the Save As window will appear and you will need
to name the file that is to contain this information.) The information and data remain
in the program. Information and data are written to the file in binary form and can be
read only by the program. The binary format is the most efficient way to store the
test data.
*WARNING: Do NOT execute the Save command at the completion of a test

(unless Load is executed first) or the test data will be lost. As the test is
running, data are stored directly in the file on the hard drive and not in the
computer memory. Information in the program exists in the computer
memory. As stated above, the Save command replaces information in the
hard drive file with what is in memory.
*Note: To bring data accumulated on the hard drive into the computer
memory at the completion of a test (or any time while the test is running),
bring down the File menu and click Load. After you have done this, it is
safe to click Save.
Save As allows you to make a copy of the current test file with a different name or
in a different location. If you use a template or a previously run test to bring most of
the settings you want into the program for a new test, the Save As allows you to re-
name your file and not overwrite what was in the file you loaded. Also, this option is
useful for making a copy of the file on a memory stick, an external hard drive, or
CD/DVD media so that the file can be used to create a report using a different
computer.
*WARNING: As indicated in the WARNING associated with the Save

command, data acquired during a test will not be saved in the newly named
file if you execute the Save As command at the end of a test without first
executing the Load command.
Dump opens a menu that contains two options (Device and Engineering) for writing
all the raw test data to a file (with the extension .dmp) in ASCII code so that a
program such as Notepad or Excel can display them in columns. The Device option will
write the data in counts; the Engineering option will write the data in engineering
units (See Appendix B for details.) They can then be edited and/or used for creating a
report. The Dump option writes only the test data; the specimen dimensions and test
information will not be written to the file.
Export allows you to make a copy of the current test file as an Excel Comma
Separated Values file (with the extension .csv). This file can be opened with Excel
and will contain the information that is on the three windows displayed using the
Table option in the Report menu.
Exit allows you to close the control program. Clicking on Exit is the same as
clicking on the close button in the upper right hand corner of the program window.
*WARNING: Closing the TRIAXIAL program will not automatically save

information that has been changed on the Properties Sheet or certain
menu-option window, neither will it generate a prompt asking if you wish

to save the changes. Any new information added to the program since the
last save will be lost. Always perform a Save or Save As before closing the
TRIAXIAL program. If you will be closing the program at the end of a test,
be sure to heed the WARNINGs given above for the Save and Save As
command.
3.3.2. View Menu
Figure 7. View Menu
The View menu allows you to select how you wish to display data associated with a
current test. The options shown in Figure 7 above are listed and described below.
System opens the System Monitor window (see Figure 8 below) that displays the
current status of the system elements. The readings of the sensors (in both counts
and the engineering units selected for the test) are shown at the top. The status of
the load motor and pressure pumps, the status of the limit switches (upper and lower
for the load motor, and empty and full for the pressure pumps), and the status of the
each pressure pump supply valve are shown. Also, the pulse counts (step counts) for
the load motor and pressure pumps are given. This window is updated every second.
Figure 8. System Monitor Window
Channel opens a menu that contains four options (Load, Displacement, Cell
Pressure and Sample Pressure) for opening monitor windows. All four windows can be
opened at once so that you can view the output of the four sensors during a test. The
options are listed and described below.
*CAUTION: Each of the four monitor windows displays real-time information

starting at the time the window is opened. If a window is closed and
opened again, the previous display will be lost. If you want to use the
windows to monitor an entire phase, open the windows as soon as possible
after the phase begins and leave them open.
Load opens the Load Channel Monitor window (see Figure 9 below) that
displays a real-time graph of the load cell output versus time. This window is
updated every second.
Figure 9. Load Channel Monitor Window
Displacement opens the Displacement Channel Monitor window (see Figure 10

below) that displays a real-time graph of the displacement sensor output versus
time. This window is updated every second.
Figure 10. Displacement Channel Monitor Window
Cell Pressure opens the Cell Pressure Channel Monitor window that displays a
real-time graph of the cell-pressure sensor output versus time. The cell-pressure
sensor is inside the Cell FlowTrac-II unit used for cell pressure control. The graph
is similar to those shown on the load and displacement windows. This window is
updated every second.
Sample Pressure opens the Sample Pressure Channel Monitor window that
displays a real-time graph of the sample-pressure sensor output versus time. The
sample-pressure sensor is inside the Sample FlowTrac-II unit used for sample
pressure control. The graph is similar to those shown on the load and
displacement windows. This window is updated every second.
*Note: The following windows (Test Monitor, Test Graph and Test T100)
are activated only when a test is running; otherwise, the options used
to open them will appear in gray on the View menu when a test is not
running.
Test Monitor opens the Test Monitor window that displays the current status of the
test. The information on the window will be relevant to the test phase that is
running. Figure 11 shows the window for the Initialization phase.
Figure 11. Test Monitor Window for Initialization Phase
This window is displayed in real time and updated every second.
Test Graph opens a window that shows four graphs. The information plotted on
the graphs will be relevant to the step of the test phase that is running. The graphs
shown in the Figure 12 below are for step 1 of a consolidation phase. For the shear
phase, there are 2 sets of 4 graphs available. You can select which set of graphs to
display by going to the View menu shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12. Test Graph Window for Consolidation Phase
The graphs are displayed in real time and automatically updated every second.
Test T100, for the currently running step of a consolidation phase, opens a
window that shows a graph of either displacement or volume (depending on which was
chosen on the consolidation table for the Duration Type) versus the square root of
time and the graphical construction used to locate the T100 time. Figure 13 below
shows the Test T100 window for volume as the Duration Type.
Figure 13. Test T100 Window for Volume Duration Type
The graph is displayed in real time and automatically updated every second.
3.3.3. Run Menu
Figure 14. Run Menu
The Run menu contains control options needed to run a test. The options shown in
Figure 14 above are listed and described below.
*CAUTION: The load frame LCD menu must not be showing the Jog option
when a test is running. Be sure that there is some other display on the
screen (preferably the system monitor) when you start a test. Do not go to
the Jog option while a test is running.
Start starts a test. This option assumes that all the conditions for running a test
have already been set by entering information into the Property Pages of the
Properties Sheet. When this selection is made, you will be prompted to take several
actions related to the beginning of the test and then the test will begin.
Next Step is used to stop the current step in a test phase and move to the next
step. You can use this option should you determine that a step in a particular phase
has been completed before the program would otherwise end it. If Next Step is
selected during the last step of a phase, the program will move to the next phase. If
Next Step is selected during a phase that does not have steps (e.g., the Initialization
phase), the program will move to the next phase.
Next Phase is used to end the current test phase and proceed to the next phase
(skipping any steps that may be left in the phase being ended). If you select this
option, TRIAXIAL will automatically save the data to the test file for the phase that is
being ended. If the current phase is the last phase of the test, the test will be ended.
*CAUTION: Use Next Phase only if you have determined that any steps left
in a phase are not needed (remember that all remaining steps will be
skipped). To avoid inadvertently skipping steps, we recommend that you
use Next Step instead of Next Phase (sequentially going quickly through any
steps that remain) when you want to move to the next phase.
Abort will completely stop the test. When you select this option, you are asked to
verify that you wish to abort the test. A No answer will ignore the Abort request and
continue with the test. A Yes answer will stop the test.
Restart allows you to restart a test that has been interrupted by a power loss or
other problem. After choosing the Restart option, you are asked for the file name of
the test. Choose the filename you assigned at the start of the test that is to be
restarted. This option assumes that the motors and all conditions of the phase that
was interrupted are the same as when the test stopped. The test will be
automatically restarted and the new data will be appended to the existing data file.
You may have to manually terminate the first increment after a restart since the time-
compression data will have been affected.
3.3.4. Calibrate Menu
Figure 15. Calibrate Menu
The Calibrate menu provides options for calibrating the transducers of the system.
A summary of the calibration information can be viewed by way of this menu. The
options shown in Figure 15 are listed and described below.
Summary opens a window (see Figure 16) on which you can view the current
calibration results for each sensor, including the calibration factor and offset. Clicking
the pull-down tab at the right of the Channel text field displays a list of sensors from
which you can choose the one you want. The date of calibration is also shown for the
sensor selected.
Figure 16. Calibration Summary Window
*WARNING: Use great care in altering the calibration factors and offsets.
Incorrect values will cause the system to apply the wrong forces.
Equipment damage is possible.
Clicking the Apply or Ok button on this window results in the application of the
calibration parameters to the data acquired by the sensor shown in the Channel text
field. Clicking the Download button transfers the calibration parameters to the
embedded controller of the LoadTrac-II unit (when either Load or Displacement is
shown in the Channel text field) or the FlowTrac-II unit (when either Cell Pressure or
Sample Pressure is shown in the Channel text field). (See Appendix A for additional
details.)
*Note: The parameters shown on the Calibration Summary window are used
by TRIAXIAL when it runs a test. However, it is important to download the
parameters to the LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II embedded controllers so that
the most recent values are there as well.
When you click on any of the sensor(s) under the calibration menu, a window will
open in which you can calibrate sensor “X”. In this description, “X” will stand for the
particular sensor that is being calibrated. Figure 17 shows a typical calibration
window for sensor X in the units specified for sensor X. In the example figure shown
below, X is a load cell calibrated in Newtons. For details on the procedure for
calculating a specific X sensor for your system, refer to Appendix A of the manual.
Figure 17. Calibration Window
On the left of the calibration window is a table for entering values for the
calibration test.
Dial Reading represents the reading taken from your calibration X sensor being
used. For example, if you are calculating a load cell, you will specify the reading
taken from your calibration load cell in the units shown.
Sensor Reading represents the value of the current count reading of the X sensor
measured in your system. Once you enter a value into the Dial reading column and
click on the large Read button, a value in the sensor reading column will automatically
appear. The Read button is used to read the count reading of the X sensor measured
in your system. This procedure is repeated until you reach the capacity of your X
sensor. Once you have collected the data from the calibration table, click the
Calibrate button on the bottom of the window.
Once you click the Calibrate button, the following data will appear on the right of
the window:
Factor: Represents the slope of the best fit line from the calibration data for
sensor X in the units specified. When you click on the Save button, the calibration
data will be saved in the Calibration summary window and will be the factor used to
run your test (refer to Calibration Summary description above).
Correlation describes the level to which the count reading and the dial reading
are related to one another for obtaining the calibration factor. If the correlation is
less than 0.999, you have gotten a bad reading and need to redo the calibration. We
recommend that you view the calibration data and the best-fit line in graphical
form. To do this, click the Graph button. Check that the data closely fit the line. A
poor fit or bad data point indicates that the calibration should be repeated. Once you
have a good calibration, click on the Save button. This will save the data entered in
the table and also be displayed in the Calibration summary window.
Offset: Represents the zero reading from the calibration data for that particular
sensor. When you click on the Save button, the calibration data will be saved in the
Calibration Summary window and will be the factor used to run your test. If you wish
to adjust the offset or zero reading before starting a test, you may do so by entering
in the new count reading under the Calibration Summary window (refer to Calibration
Summary description above).
The Standard Error represents an estimation of the standard deviation to show

the variation that exists from the best-fit line of the calibration data. A low standard
error indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the best-fit line, whereas
a high standard error indicates that the data points are spread out over a large range
of values.
*Note: If you close the Calibration window (by clicking the Close button or the X
in the upper right corner of the window), the calibration results will not be
saved.
In order to save the calibration data (including standard error and calibration
graph results), be sure to click the Apply button and the Download button on the
Calibration Summary window for the sensor(s) after the sensor(s) have been calibrated
and the results saved (see description for Calibration Summary).
The following sensor options are available for TRIAXIAL under the Calibration
menu:
Load opens a window which is used to calibrate the load cell. (See Appendix A for
details). You will need an independent means to accurately measure the force in the
load cell to use this option. Clicking the Save button on this window saves the
calibration data to the memory of your computer so that the calibration parameters
will appear on the Calibration Summary window.
Displacement opens a window, which is used to calibrate the displacement

transducer. (See Appendix A for details). You will need a set of standardized gauge
blocks to use this option. Clicking the Save button on this window saves the
calibration data to the memory of your computer so that the calibration parameters
will appear on the Calibration Summary window.
Cell Pressure opens a window which is used to calibrate the cell-pressure

transducer. (See Appendix A for details). You will need an independent means of
accurately measuring pressure to use this option. Clicking the Save button on this
window saves the calibration data to the memory of your computer so that the
calibration parameters will appear on the Calibration Summary window.
Sample Pressure opens a window which is used to calibrate the sample-pressure

transducer. (See Appendix A for details). You will need an independent means of
accurately measuring sample pressure to use this option. Clicking the Save button on
this window saves the calibration data to the memory of your computer so that the
calibration parameters will appear on the Calibration Summary window.
3.3.5. Control Menu
Figure 18. Control Menu
The Control menu provides options for applying a chosen load and/or pressure, and
for controlling the status of the valves. The options shown in the Figure 18 above are
listed and described below.
Figure 19. Load Control Window
Clicking on Load, Cell Pressure, or Sample Pressure opens a window on which you can
specify a condition (load or pressure) that you want the system to apply and maintain.
Figure 19 shows the Load Control window. The windows for cell pressure and sample
pressure are similar. You can enter the value for the condition either in counts (left box)
or in the units chosen through the Options menu (right box). The software automatically
converts whichever form of number you enter to the other. After typing in the value, click
the Go button. If the value you have entered is greater than or less than that displayed in
the System Monitor window (opened by selecting System from the View menu),
adjustments will be made by the system until the specified condition is attained. Clicking
the Stop button will stop the adjustments before the specified condition is attained.
*Note: Pressing “Enter” on your computer keyboard after typing in a value

will close the window without applying or changing any conditions.
Clicking on Valves opens the Valves Control window (see Figure 20 below) which
allows you to open and close the output and supply valves that are involved with cell
pressure and sample pressure.
Figure 20. Valves Control Window
3.3.6. Report Menu
Figure 21. Report Menu
The Report menu has options that allow you to produce and print a report for the
saturation, consolidation, and shear phase results in graphical form or in tabular form.
You can also choose the settings for the graphs included in the graphical report. The
Report menu also provides an option for editing the data which will be used in the
report. The options shown in Figure 21 above are listed and described below.
Graph contains three options: a graphical report for the Saturation phase, the
Consolidation phase, and the Shear phase.
Saturation opens a window that shows four time-history graphs. They are for
the total stress, effective stress, saturation ratio, and sample volume change,
respectively, as shown in Figure 22 below. The total and effective stress graphs
display 3 sets of data: Blue Line = Sample, Red Line = Vertical, and Green Line =
Horizontal.
Figure 22. Graphical Report of Saturation Phase
Consolidation opens a window that shows four time-history graphs for each
consolidation step. They are for the total stress, effective stress, axial strain, and
volumetric strain. The total and effective stress graphs display 3 sets of data: Blue
Line = Sample, Red Line = Vertical, and Green Line = Horizontal.
Figure 23. Graphical Report of Consolidation Phase
Shear opens a window that shows the shear phase test results in graphical form
using three different page layouts. The first page is a summary page showing the
stress path graph and a vertical strain graph. The second page of the shear report
is the stress page and shows two forms of the vertical strain graph and the stress
path graph. The third page of the shear report is the shear page and shows two
forms of the vertical strain graph. (See the description of the View menu below
for choosing vertical axis labeling and scales for the axes.)
Figure 24 shows the first page of the shear report. It includes a designated
area for filling in your company logo and failure sketch for creating formal test
reports. The information on the top right corner of this page (e.g., Client, Project
Name, etc.) is displayed based on the information you enter into the Project and
Specimen page of the software (refer to Sections 3.4.1 and 3.4.2).
Figure 24. Graphical Report of Shear Phase (Page 1)
Figure 25. View Menu from the Graphical Report
The View menu at the upper left corner of the graphical report contains several
options shown in Figure 25 above.
Settings opens the Report Settings window that is used to configure the
graphical report. It contains two tabs: Stress Path Graphs and Strain Graphs.
Both tabs contain text fields for setting minimum and maximum values for the axes
of the various graphs in the report. To activate the new axes settings on the
graphs, enter in the desired value in the text field, place a check mark in the
check box and click on Apply.
The Stress Path Graphs tab, shown in Figure 26, allows you to choose total or
effective stresses to be displayed on the stress path graphs. There is also an
option at the bottom of this window that allows you to Show Mohr’s Circle and
Show Strength Envelope. If Show Strength envelope is selected, the envelope will
appear on the stress path graphs based on friction angle and cohesion computed by
the software. Alternatively, you can select User Specified Strength Envelope and
manually specify the envelope by the Intercept (i.e., cohesion) and slope (i.e.,
friction angle). To activate these settings, place a check mark in the check box
and click on Apply.
Figure 26. Report Settings Window for Stress Path Graphs
The Strain Graphs tab, shown in Figure 27, allows you to choose what
parameter you want to be displayed on the vertical axis of the strain graphs. The
options include: Deviator Stress, Excess Pressure, Pressure Coefficient, Stress
Ratio, Volume Change, and Volumetric Strain. When you select the vertical axis
parameter, be sure to specify which strain graph of the report you want the
vertical axis parameter to be displayed on. This is done from the Graph dropdown
menu. Click on Apply in order for the changes to take effect.
Figure 27. Report Settings Window for Strain Graphs
Previous Page and Next Page allows you to scroll through different pages of
the graphical report when more than one page exists, such as in the shear report.
(Alternatively the keyboard PgDn and PgUp keys can be used to scroll through the
pages.) Fit Page, Fit Width, and Fit Length are used for zooming in/out of the
report as desired. Print allows you to print the report and Close will close you out
of the report window (same as clicking on the “X” in the upper right corner of the
window).
Table contains three options: one for the Saturation phase, one for the
Consolidation phase and one for the Shear phase.
Saturation opens a window that displays the saturation phase test results in
tabular form. The table contains the data from which the time-history saturation
graphs are created.
Consolidation opens a window that displays the consolidation phase test results
in tabular form using one page for each step in the consolidation phase.
Shear opens a window that displays the shear phase test results in tabular
form. As in the Graph option, there are three pages. The tables on these pages
contain the data from which the graphs are created.
The View menu at the upper left corner of the tabular report contains several
options shown in Figure 28.
Figure 28. View Menu from the Tabular Report
Previous Page and Next Page is used to view the various pages sequentially in
the tabular report when more than one page exists. This option will be used for
the shear tabular report and for the consolidation tabular report when more than
one consolidation step is used in the test.
Save As allows you to save the tabular data as a text file so that the tabular
data can be stored as a single report file. By default, the software will save the
file with a *.out extension. When you click on the Save As option, the Save As
dialog window will open in order to select the name and location for the file.
Print is used to print all or a portion of the tabular report. Select Print to open
the Print dialog window which allows the choices of printing the entire report,
selecting a range of pages, or printing the page being displayed. Close will close
you out of the report window (same as clicking on the “X” in the upper right corner
of the window).
Edit opens the TRIAXIAL Data window (see Figure 29) that displays the raw data
accumulated during a phase of the test.
Figure 29. TRIAXIAL Data Window
The top bar of the window specifies the phase for which data are being shown.
The Next and Previous buttons can be used to show data for the various phases.
When a consolidation or shear phase is being displayed, the top bar of the window also
specifies the step in the phase for which data are being shown. For the consolidation
and shear phases, the Next and Previous buttons are used for moving from step to
step.
For purposes of the report, the data can be edited (deleted or changed) in the
event that a bad data point or section of data is identified. To have changes made on
the TRIAXIAL Data window result in changes in on the tabular and graphical report
pages (opened using the Table or Graph option in the Report menu). In order for the
changes to take effect, the Apply button must be clicked. (Note that if the report
table is open when changes are made, the changes will not be reflected in the report
table until that window is closed and re-opened.)
*Note: An entire row can be deleted or inserted using the procedure

described in Section 3.4.4 for rows in the Read Table.
Changing the raw data values on the TRIAXIAL Data window will not change the
values in the file on the computer hard drive. To save the changes on the hard drive,
click Save (or Save as) in the File menu.
*Note: We recommend that you use Save as when making changes to the
raw data so that the original data will not be lost.
*Note: The optional TRIAXIAL:REPORT software allows you to load up to

four files containing data for tests run on samples of the same soil. The
Graph option will then show on one stress path graph the result of all tests.
The Table option will allow you to view a summary of the results of each
test.
3.3.7. Options Menu
Figure 30. Options Menu
By using the Options menu you can select the units, make changes to the hardware
settings, specify the piston parameters, and enter load control parameters for the
test. The choices shown in Figure 30 above are listed and described below.
Units opens the Units window (see Figure 31 below) which allows you to select the
system of units that will be used for a test. You can click a button on the Units
window to select Metric or English units for all of the quantities (length, area, volume,
mass, time, force, stress, and unit weight), or you can use a pull-down button to the
right of each text field to configure mixed units. The units may be changed at any
time during a test by returning to the Units window, making the change and clicking
OK.
Figure 31. Units Window
*Note: The default unit for time on the Read table (see Section 3.4.4) and
the test monitoring windows opened from the View menu is minutes for
either the Metric or English choice. If you want the unit to be seconds, use
the Time pull-down button and select seconds.
Hardware opens the Hardware Setup window that is used to specify the Node ID
for each hardware unit of the system (i.e., LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II), and to specify
various parameters which determine how each test unit functions. Figure 32 below
shows an example of the Hardware Setup window.
Figure 32. Hardware Setup Window
The parameters shown in Figure 32 are listed and described below.
Node ID is a unique number that identifies a hardware unit (LoadTrac-II or

FlowTrac-II) so that TRIAXIAL can exchange signals with the correct unit. (For the
LoadTrac-II load frame, the default value is 65; for the FlowTrac-II unit associated
with the cell, the default value is 66; for the FlowTrac-II unit associated with the
sample, the default value is 67.) The Node ID is stored in the embedded controller
of each hardware unit as part of the setup prior to shipping the system and should
not be changed unless more than one LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system is to be
controlled with one computer. If a change is necessary, these values can be any
number between 20 and 256.
Step Multiplier is used to set the distance that the platen will travel in one
step of the motor in the LoadTrac-II unit (Load Step Multiplier) and to set the
volume change that will occur in one step of the pump motor in a FlowTrac-II unit
(Cell and Sample Step Multipliers). The default value for each Step Multiplier is
determined at the factory, loaded into the controller of each unit and included in
a template file shipped with the TRIAXIAL software. The values shown in the
Hardware Setup window can be edited when a test is being run by the TRIAXIAL
program. However, the default values depend on the physical characteristics of
the units and should not be changed.
The default value for the Load Step Multiplier (LSM) should be about 5.3e-005
mm/step (2.1e-006 in/step). To calculate a vertical travel increment, ∆h, from a
step increment, ∆steps, use the equation: ∆h = (LSM)x(∆steps).
The default value for the Cell and Sample Step Multipliers is 5.363e-004
cc/step. To calculate a volume change, ∆V, in cc from a step increment, ∆steps,
use the equation: ∆V = (5.363e-004)x(∆steps).
Motor steps can be viewed using Notepad to open a file that has been dumped.
See Section 3.3.1 and Appendix B for details.
*CAUTION: If you do your own calibration to determine step multipliers,

be sure that it is done properly. In particular, the calibration for the
cell and sample Step Multipliers must take into account the compliance
of the tubing, the temperature, and any air bubbles that may be still
trapped in the system.
Initial Volume is used to determine how full the cell and sample pressure
control pumps will become when they are filled using the automated initialization
process at the start of a test. The default values are 75% for the cell piston and
50% for the sample piston.
Auto Refill is used to choose whether or not a pressure control piston will be
automatically filled if it empties during a test. If this option is not chosen by
putting a check mark in the box (clicking on the box when it is empty), you will be
prompted if a cylinder empties. This option has not yet been implemented into
the software; therefore, you will be prompted if a cylinder (either sample flow
pump or cell flow pump) empties.
Control Loop Period is the time value in milliseconds for the closed loop
control that is used during the application of a load. The default value is 250
msec and should not be changed.
If you make changes, click the Apply button if you want the window to remain
open after the changes have taken effect. Otherwise click Ok. The changes will
take effect and the window will automatically close.
Piston opens the Piston Settings window where information for the area, weight
and friction of the test chamber piston can be entered (see Figure 33 below).
Figure 33. Piston Settings Window
Area is the area of the piston inside the test chamber. This value is used by
TRIAXIAL to calculate the uplift force on the piston due to the cell pressure acting
against the bottom of the piston. The uplift force is calculated as the area of the
piston multiplied by the cell pressure. The uplift force is subtracted from the
measured vertical load in order to calculate the vertical stress.
Weight is the weight of the piston. This value is added to the measured vertical
load when TRIAXIAL calculates the vertical stress from the load value and the area of
the piston.
Friction is the friction force in the units shown. This value is subtracted from the
measured vertical load when TRIAXIAL calculates the vertical stress from the load
value and the area of the piston.
*Note: Because the friction force is very difficult to determine, an effective

area is found experimentally using a method that eliminates the need for
both the weight and friction. This effective area together with a weight
and friction of zero are used for the default values (shown in Figure 33) in
the template file that is shipped with your LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system.
*CAUTION: If new values need to be entered because a different test

chamber will be used for a test, be sure to click the Ok button (not the
upper right close button) to save the values and close the window.
Otherwise, the new values will not take effect.
PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) pulls down the submenu shown in Figure 34 .
Figure 34. PID Options
Each option opens a PID Settings window that is used for entering control
parameters. The default values shown in the figures below should work well for most
soil types.
*CAUTION: The Derivative Gain, Integral Limit and Velocity Limit values
should not be changed without first consulting a Geocomp Corp.
Technician.
Figure 35. Load PID Settings Window
Figure 36. Cell Pressure PID Settings Window
Figure 37. Sample Pressure PID Settings Window
The Proportional Gain (P-gain) affects how rapidly the target vertical stress
value is reached at the beginning of a step (faster rate for higher P-gain values). It
is possible to use any P-gain value from 0.5 to 5. The time to reach a target value
increases by a factor of about 3 from a P-Gain of 0.5 to 5. In general, the P-gain
value should be higher for softer soils and lower for stiffer soils.
The Integral Gain (I-gain) also affects how rapidly the target stress or pressure
value is reached, but in a somewhat different way. If the Integral gain is too high,
the load may approach the target too abruptly and cause the specimen sleeve to
rupture. It is possible to use any I-gain value from 0.01 to 1.
The Derivative Gain value is always set to zero and is the default setting
for all soil types.
*Note: We recommend that you consult with Geocomp Corp. personnel

before making any changes to the PID settings.
If a change needs to be made, click the Apply button after making the change if
you want the window to remain open after the change has taken effect. Otherwise
click Ok. The change will take effect and the window will automatically close.
3.3.8. Help Menu
Figure 38. Help Menu
The Help menu shown in Figure 38 gives you access to a wide range of topics for
which help is available. When you click either Contents or Search, a window is
opened which can be used to either show a list of topics or search for a topic. In
addition, help is available from any point in the program. The About option will open
a window that gives general information of the software program, including the
revision number and copyright information.
3.4. Properties Sheet
The Properties Sheet is used to enter general information about the test, the
physical characteristics of the specimen, and the parameters which are used for the
test. The Properties Sheet is composed of ten (10) Property Pages, each designated by
a labeled tab (shown in the Figure 39 below).
Figure 39. Properties Sheet Page Tabs
Information is entered on a Property Page by clicking on a text field and typing the
information. The keyboard tab key can be used to move the cursor sequentially from
one text field to the next on each Property Page. Each of the ten Property Pages is
described in this section.
*CAUTION: After making changes on Property Pages, be sure to bring down

the File menu and click Save (or Save As). The changes will not take effect
until the save command is used. If a test is running, be sure to bring down
the File menu and click Save. If a change is made while a test is running,
the changes will take effect at the beginning of the next step.
*CAUTION: When entering (or changing) a value on a Properties Sheet page

that has a table, it is necessary to move the cursor to another cell of the
table before clicking Save in the File menu. If this is not done, the entry
will not be saved.
3.4.1. Project Page
Figure 40. Project Page
The Project page (shown in Figure 40 above) is used to enter general information
concerning the project and the specimen to be tested. A test does not use any of the
information entered on this page, so entries are completely at your discretion. The
information will, however, appear on most of the report pages. The Project page can
be completed or modified after a test has been run if you chose not to enter all of the
data. The entries from the Project page are listed and described below:
Project Number: Input to define the number of the project. This will be included
in the output report.
Project Name: Input to define the name of the project. This will be included in
the output report.
Client: Input to define the name of the client that the test is being performed for.
This will be included in the output report.
Location: Input to define the location of the project. This will be included in the
output report.
Depth: Input to define the depth of the sample. This will be included in the
output report.
Elevation: Input to define the elevation of the sample. This will be included in the
output report.
Boring Number: Input to help define the boring number (e.g., "B-1"). This will be
included in the output report.
Sample Number: Input to define sample numbers (e.g., "S-1"). This will be
Test Number: Input to help define the test number (e.g., "Test-1"). This will be
Preparation: Input to describe the sample type (e.g., Shelby tube, re-compacted,
block, jar, bulk, etc.).
Classification: Input to describe the soil classification (e.g., well-graded sand,

poorly graded sand, silty sand, etc.)
Group Symbol: Input to describe the soil classification symbol according to the
unified classification system (SW, SP, SM, etc.)
Tester: Input to define the person in charge of running the test. Enter either
initials, full name, or ID of the person.
Test Date: Input to define the date of the test. This will be included in the output
report.
Checker: Input to define the person checking the test parameters and results.
Enter either initials, full name, or ID of the person.
Check Date: Input to define when the person checking the test parameters and
results occurred.
Description: Input to describe the tested sample. This is a visual description of

the soil sample being tested. It can be later edited if index tests (e.g., Atterberg
limits, grain size distribution, etc.) are run on the soil sample or trimmings after
completion of the test. This information will be included in the output report.
Comments: Input to describe test parameters, any deviations from standard

methods, or quality of sample (e.g., degree of disturbance). This information will be
3.4.2. Specimen Page
Figure 41. Specimen Page
The Specimen page (shown in Figure 41 above) is used to enter the physical
parameters that describe the specimen to be tested. The Initial Diameter is used by
TRIAXIAL to determine the applied stress during several test phases and so needs to be
an accurate value. The other parameters are used in the data reduction and reporting
feature of TRIAXIAL. (See Sections 6.1 and 6.2 for details.) The entries from the
Specimen page are listed and described below.
Initial Diameter: Input for the initial diameter of the specimen in the units
indicated. This value is important for computing the correct stress on the sample as
well as weight-volume phase relationships (density, unit weight, void ratio, degree of
saturation, etc.). If you input a diameter different than the actual value, the stress
applied to the specimen will be different than the indicated value.
Initial Height: Input for the initial height of the specimen in the units indicated.
This value is important for computing vertical strain of the sample as well as weight-
volume phase relationships (e.g., density, unit weight, void ratio, degree of
saturation, etc.).
Initial Sample Weight: Input for the initial sample weight of the specimen in the
units indicated. This value is not required to run the test. However, it is required for
the final report to compute the weight volume phase relationships.
Specific Gravity: From the dropdown menu, the type of Specific Gravity is used to
specify the method for determining the specific gravity value entered for this
test. The dialog box on the right is used to input the value of specific gravity of the
specimen. This value is not required to run the test. However, it is required for the
final report to compute weight-volume phase relationships (e.g., density, unit weight,
void ratio, degree of saturation, etc.). The specific gravity of the majority of soil
particles ranges between 2.6 and 2.8. Soils with high organic content will have lower
values. The value commonly used for the specific gravity of soils is 2.7.
*Note: For the data reduction results to be correct, it is very important

that you enter accurate measurements for the initial diameter, initial
height, initial sample weight and specific gravity of the specimen. Be sure
to measure the diameter, height and weight carefully. Distance
measurements should be made to the nearest 0.1 mm (0.004 in) and
weight measurements should be made to the nearest 0.01 gram.
Plasticity: Plasticity is generally determined in index testing of the soil. The

software allows you to choose from 3 options for the plasticity:
1. Plastic: Selected for plastic samples being tested.

2. Non-plastic: Select for nonplastic samples being tested.
3. Unknown: Select for samples of unknown plasticity being tested
Liquid Limit: Input to specify the liquid limit of the specimen. This information is
not required to run the test. If specified, the values are printed and plotted in the
report output.
Plastic Limit: Input to specify the plastic limit of the specimen. This information
is not required to run the test. If specified, the values are printed and plotted in the
report output.
3.4.3. Water Content Page
Figure 42. Water Content Page
The Water Content page (shown in Figure 42 above) is used to enter data related
to specimen water content before the test and after the test. The water content
information is not used to control the test. However, it is used in the data reduction
and reporting feature of TRIAXIAL. (See Sections 6.1, 6.2, 6.5 and 6.6, for details.)
The entries from the Water Content page are listed and described below.
*Note: For the data reduction results to be correct, it is very important

that you enter accurate measurements for the trimmings and specimen. Be
sure to measure the weights carefully to the nearest 0.01 gram.
Trimming Tare ID: Input information to identify container used for water content
determination.
Trimmings Tare Weight: Input weight of container used for water content
determination in the units specified.
Trimmings Wet Weight: Input weight of we soil and container in the units
specified.
Trimmings Dry Weight: Input weight of dry soil and container in the units
specified.
Specimen Tare ID: Input information to identify the specimen. Any combination
of letters and numbers is acceptable.
Specimen Tare Weight: Input weight of container used for the specimen in the
units specified.
Specimen Wet Weight: Input wet weight of the specimen in the units specified.
3.4.4. Read Table Page
Figure 43. Read Table Page
The Read Table page (shown in Figure 43 above) is used to control when sensor
output values are read and stored during a test. Control can be on the basis of Time,
Strain, Displacement or Volume. (The desired control parameter is selected in the
Read Table column of the two Consolidation Table pages and the Shear Table page,
and in the Read Table text field on Initialization page.) Data will be read when the
specified value in the selected column is reached. If only a few values are put into a
column, TRIAXIAL will continue to read at higher incremented values based on the
difference between the last two values entered. For example, if the values of 0.2,
0.5, 1 are entered in the Time column (and time is selected in the last column of the
Consolidation Table), data will be read at 0.22 min, 0.5 min, 1.0 min, 1.5 min, 2.0
min, etc. If the values of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 are entered, data will be read at .5 min,
1.0 min, 2.0 min, 3.0 min, 4.0 min, etc.
To delete or insert a row, right click on the number (far left column) for the row to
be deleted or inserted. A window showing the two options will open. (Figure 44
shows the window that opens when right clicking on a numbered row.) Left clicking
Delete will delete that row. Left clicking Insert will insert a copy of that row. After
the change has been made, all rows following the chosen row will be renumbered.
Figure 44. Delete or Insert a Row
*Note: To change the time unit to sec, select Units from the Options menu.
Use the Time pull-down button for the Time text field and select seconds.
3.4.5. Test Parameters Page
Figure 45. Test Parameters Page
The Test Parameters page (shown in Figure 45 above) is used to select various
parameters that control the test and parameters that are used in the data reduction
once a test is complete. The entries from the Test Parameters page are listed and
described below.
Start Phase: Selection for choosing which phase of the test you would like to begin
the test. For example, if you want to skip the consolidation phase and go straight to
the shear phase of the test, you may do so by selecting Shear Phase.
Area at the end of Consolidation: ASTM offers two methods for computing the
area at the end of consolidation. The choice of the method to be used should be that
which yields specimen conditions most representative of those after consolidation.
Method A computes the area of the specimen based on the measured volume change
during consolidation and measured height change during saturation. Method B
computes the area of the specimen based on the final water content of the specimen.
Area Correction: Selection based on how the area of the specimen will be
corrected for. By selecting None, the program will base all test phases on the initial
area of the specimen and no correction is applied. By choosing Uniform, it is assumed
that the specimen compresses axially and expands uniformly. By choosing Parabolic, it
is assumed that as the specimen compresses axially, it expands radially according to a
parabolic function with the maximum radial expansion at the mid-height of the
sample. The correction is made during the consolidation and shear phases of the test.
Filter Strip Correction Factor: Input to account for filter strips being used, if
applicable, on the specimen to facilitate saturation. The correction factor is applied
to the deviator stress to remove the effect of filter strip stiffness. The correction
equals this value for axial strain above 0.02 and increases linearly from 0 to this value
for axial strain less than 0.02. Bishop and Henkel (1957) suggest a value of 14 kPa (2
psi) for vertical strips covering half the sample's circumference on a 36 mm (1.4 inch)
diameter sample and 3.5 kPa (0.5 psi) for a 100 mm (4 inch) diameter sample. No
membrane correction factor is applied if a filter strip correction is used. TRIAXIAL does
not use this value to control the test. Refer to ASTM D4767 for methods used to
determine the filter strip correction. Refer to Bishop and Henkel (1957) for
recommend values.
Membrane Correction Factor: Input to account for the stiffness of the membrane,
which may provide resistance to the applied loads. Bishop and Henkel (1957) give
typical values of 0.0003 kN/mm (1.65 lb/in) for standard 36 mm (1.4 inch) diameter
membranes with 0.2 mm (0.008 inch) thickness, and 0.00035 kN/mm (2.0 lb/in) for
100 mm (4 inch) diameter membranes with 0.0254 mm (0.001 inch) thickness. No
membrane correction factor is applied if a filter strip correction is used. ASTM D4767
provides a membrane correction and recommends correcting for the strength of the
membrane if the error in deviator stress due to strength of the membrane will be
greater than 5%. TRIAXIAL does not use this value to control the test.
Time to 50% Consolidation: User-specified input to enter the time to 50%

consolidation. This is only used to be included in the data report and does not affect
the test in any way.
Test Type: Selection for choosing which type of triaxial test you are running. The
dropdown menu options include CU, CD, stress path, Undrained extension, and Drained
extension.
Test Standard: Selection for choosing which test standard is being followed for the
test. There are several options to select from in the dropdown menu. When an option
is selected, it will be displayed as the title in the graphical shear report.
Show Strength at: Selection to choose whether to show the strength at Maximum
Obliquity, Maximum Shear or a user-specified Strain in the graphical report. These
options do not affect the test while it is running in any way. They are used in the
graphical report for data reduction.
3.4.6. Initialization Page
Figure 46. Initialization Page
The initialization phase of a triaxial test applies a small horizontal and vertical
stress along with pore pressure to the specimen. The Initialization page (shown in
Figure 46) is used to control this phase.
The Horizontal Stress is the cell pressure (or confining stress) that will be applied.
The Vertical Stress is the confining stress plus the calculated stress applied by the
piston. The Sample Pressure is the pore pressure, and should always be maintained
at a value less than the cell pressure; failure to do so will result in the membrane
ballooning out and the sample being damaged or destroyed. The three stresses define
the total and effective stress that will be applied to the specimen during the
initialization phase of the test.
Stress Rate is the rate of stress change for the initialization phase. Be careful to
enter this value in the correct units. If the rate entered is faster than the system can
supply, one or more of the stresses may fall behind the others during initialization.
Allowable stress rates depend on specifics of your cell, specimen and setup. For
example, air in the cell will decrease the rate at which the system can increase the
cell pressure.
The initialization phase will be maintained for the length of time specified in the
Duration text field. When the duration time has elapsed, the test will proceed to the
next phase.
The Read Table text field allows selection of which column of the Read Table
(Time, Strain, Displacement or Volume) will be used to control the recording of data
during the initialization phase. The data may be recorded at user-specified time
intervals or physical conditions. The intervals or conditions at which recording will
occur are entered on the Read Table page.
3.4.7. Consolidation/A Table Page
Two independent consolidation phases and a saturation phase are provided by

TRIAXIAL. The Consolidation/A Table page (shown in Figure 47) is used to enter
parameters that control a consolidation phase prior to the saturation phase. The
Consolidation/B Table page Section 3.4.9) is used to enter parameters that control a
consolidation phase after the saturation phase. The Consolidation/B page includes a
K0 option.
Figure 47. Consolidation/A Table Page
Each row in the Consolidation/A table represents one stress step (load step) in the
consolidation/A phase. TRIAXIAL can perform this pre-saturation phase by applying up
to 32 steps of incremented effective horizontal and vertical stresses while the sample
pressure is kept constant and the volume of the specimen decreases. The eight
columns of entry fields are listed and described below.
Effective Horizontal Stress and Effective Vertical Stress specify the target
effective values (total minus sample pressure) you wish to apply in each step. Any
value may be entered. If you enter a value that is higher than the capacity the force
transducer or a pressure transducer can apply, you will receive a warning when the
transducer reaches its capacity and the software will not allow the system to be
overloaded.
Stress Rate specifies the rate at which TRIAXIAL will increase the horizontal and
vertical stresses as the stress condition moves from the effective stress values
measured at the start of the step to the values specified for the step. Once the
specified values are reached, the program will maintain this condition until the end of
the step. The flow pumps can supply approximately 400 ml per minute and the platen
can move at approximately 32 mm (1.25 in) per minute. Except for very unusual
circumstances, these characteristics are sufficient for maintaining a desired stress
rate.
Duration Type specifies the criterion (Displacement or Volume) that will be used
for determining the duration of a step. The criterion to be used is chosen by clicking
on the pull-down button at the right of the Duration Type column.
The duration of a step depends on several factors, one of which is the time it takes
to reach the T100 condition (the condition of 100% primary consolidation). The basis
on which TRIAXIAL determines the T100 condition can be either the change in
specimen height (Displacement) or the change in overall specimen size (Volume). In
either case, TRIAXIAL determines T100 by utilizing a graph for which the horizontal
axis is the square root of time (see Figure 48 below).
Figure 48. Real-Time Graph with Labels Added
Once the program has constructed the green line, it draws the blue line starting at
the same place as the green line and with a slope equal to the green-line slope divided
by 1.15. Note that the starting point of the two lines is not the same as the starting
point of data recording. This is due to the compression during Initialization. The
intercept of the blue line and the data curve indicates T90. The aqua horizontal line
is drawn through this interception point. T100 is found by multiplying T90 by 1.5 and
the first vertical yellow line indicates the result. The second vertical yellow line
indicates the end of T100 offset.
Maximum Duration specifies the maximum period of time during which the stress
step will run for, regardless of whether or not T100 has been achieved.
Minimum Duration specifies the minimum period of time during which the stress
step will run.
The recommended values for the maximum and minimum durations are shown in
the following table.
Recommended Duration Settings a Consolidation Phase

Soil Type Recommended Max. Duration Recommended Min. Duration
Sandy Silt 24 hours 30 min
Silty Clay 24 hours 60 min
Plastic Clay 24 hours 120 min
T100 Offset determines how long a step will continue after either the T100 time
or the Minimum Duration time (whichever is longer) has been reached (unless the
Maximum Duration time is reached before the end of the combination of times).
Examples:
Maximum Duration = 1440 min

Minimum Duration = 720 min
T100 Time Offset = 60 min
1. T100 time = 600 min: Initialization phase will end in 720+60 = 780 min.
2. T100 time = 800 min: Initialization phase will end in 800+60 = 860 min.
3. T100 time = 1400 min: Initialization phase will end in 1440 min.
*Note: The T100 Offset needs to be entered only when you want a step in
the test to go to the secondary consolidation. If you need the rate of
secondary consolidation, Cα, then the T100 Offset value should be at least
10 times the T100 time so that the program will have time to calculate a
good value for the slope of the secondary consolidation curve/line.
Read Table contains the parameter (time, strain, displacement or volume) chosen
to control the condition under which data for the consolidation phase are read and
stored. (See the description of the Read Table, Section 3.4.4, for details.) The choice
is made by clicking the drop-down button at the right of the column and choosing the
desired parameter.
To delete or insert a step in the Consolidation/A Table, right click on the number
(far left column) for the step to be deleted or inserted. A window showing the two
options will open. (Figure 49 shows the window that opens when you right click on a
row.) Left clicking Delete will delete that step. Left clicking Insert will insert a copy
of that step. After the change has been made, all rows following the chosen step will
be renumbered.
Figure 49. Delete or Insert a Step
This Consolidation/A phase can be skipped by entering zero values into the
Horizontal Stress and Vertical Stress columns.
3.4.8. Saturation Page
Figure 50. Saturation Page
The Saturation page (shown in Figure 50 above) is used to enter information that
will control the saturation phase of the triaxial test. The saturation phase consists of
incremental increases in cell pressure and pore pressure in order to achieve maximum
saturation while a constant effective stress (total stress minus pore pressure) on the
specimen is maintained. As the increase in cell pressure is applied, the system will
monitor the increase in pore pressure. The ratio of the pore pressure increase to the
cell pressure increase is the saturation ratio or B value. Before the next cell pressure
increment is applied, the pore pressure is raised and then held constant so that the
effective stress on the specimen is maintained. This will cause air in the specimen to
be absorbed and will result in a higher B value. The B value will be close to 1 when
the specimen is fully saturated.
The Pressure Increment is the amount by which the cell pressure and sample
pressure are increased as the B value is being determined. The Pressure Rate
specifies the rate at which these pressures are increased. TRIAXIAL will accept any
positive value. If the value exceeds the rate at which the system can increase
pressure, the system will run at its maximum speed.
The system will continue to incrementally increase the cell pressure and pore
pressure until the cell pressure equals the value specified in the Minimum Cell
Pressure text field. The system will continue to apply the pressure increments even if
an acceptable B value is attained at cell pressures less than this value.
The system will continue to incrementally increase the cell pressure and pore
pressure until the B value is equal to or exceeds the value entered in the Minimum
Saturation Ratio text field or the cell pressure reaches the value entered in the
Maximum Cell Pressure text field. The Minimum Saturation Ratio (B value) is
typically 0.95.
If the cell pressure reaches the Maximum Cell Pressure value and the Minimum
Saturation Ratio has not been reached, the system will begin a cyclic process of
decreasing and increasing the cell pressure (at constant effective stress) while
continuing to monitor the B value. Each cycle begins with both the cell pressure and
pore pressure being reduced. Then, after a period of time, the cell pressure is
increased, the B value monitored, and the pore pressure increased. This cyclic
process will continue until either the Minimum Saturation Ratio is attained or the
Maximum Number of Cycles has been reached. If the specified B value is attained,
the test proceeds immediately to the next phase. If the Maximum Number of Cycles
is reached before the specified B value is attained, the system waits a period of time
(as determined by the T4 value entered in the Saturation Page) before proceeding to
the next phase.
The Maximum Cell Pressure value needs to be set such that any phase which
follows the saturation phase does not produce a condition which exceeds the
maximum rating for the test chamber, the pressure transducers or the load cell as
specified on the Hardware Setup window.
Note: The software will prevent the pressure transducers and the load cell
from being overloaded but there is no such protection for over pressurizing
the test chamber.
During the saturation phase the cell pressure and pore pressure increase at the
rate and increments defined in the Saturation Page. If the phase ends because of
reaching the Maximum Cell Pressure value, the pore pressure at the end of saturation
phase may be close to this value. Since a later phase (e.g., consolidation phase)
usually involves an increase in the cell pressure for the anticipated effective stress,
the total stress during the consolidation phase may become too high and can damage
the test chamber or inadvertently end the phase (due to exceeding the sensor
capacity). A typical value to use for the Maximum Cell Pressure is equal to either the
maximum pressure that the cell pressure sensor is rated for or the triaxial cell
maximum pressure capacity, whichever is the lower, minus the anticipated effective
consolidation pressure in the next phase.
For example: The triaxial cell pressure rating is 875 kPa (127 psi) and the triaxial
test is going to be run at an effective consolidation pressure of 140 kPa (20 psi). The
max cell pressure should be 875 kPa –140 kPa (127 psi - 20 psi) = 735 kPa (107 psi)
T1 is the duration for which the applied cell pressure is maintained before the
pore pressure is increased. During this time the B value (the Minimum Saturation
Ratio) is continuously updated and checked against the target value (typically 0.95).
This duration depends on the soil and the initial degree of saturation. Common T1
values are from 2 to 30 minutes, the former for sandy soils with high permeability and
the latter for heavily consolidated clays with low permeability.
T2 is the duration for which the incremented pore pressure is maintained before
the cell pressure is increased. During this time, there is no checking of the B value.
This duration depends on the soil and the initial degree of saturation. Common T2
values are from 3 to 30 minutes, the latter for heavily consolidated clays with low
permeability.
T3 is the length of time, at the beginning of each cycle, between the decrease of
cell and pore pressure and the increase of cell pressure. This length of time depends
on the soil and the initial degree of saturation. Common T3 values are from between
10 to 60 minutes. A value of 0 in the T3 text field will cause the system to skip the
cycling feature of the saturation phase
T4 comes into play only if the Maximum Number of Cycles has been reached but
the minimum B value has not been attained. T4 is the time the program waits after
the Maximum Number of Cycles has been reached before beginning the next phase of
the triaxial test. The value for T4 depends on what the user wants to do when the B
value could not be reached. Typically, T4 is set to a long interval such as 3000
minutes. This holds the system in the saturation phase until the user can examine
what happened during the saturation phase and determine if any additional steps need
to made to achieve a higher B value or if the B value is sufficient for the test to
continue.
The Read Interval text field is used to select how often the data is to be read and
stored during the saturation phase as the test proceeds. Data will be read according
to the specified value for the time increment.
The saturation phase can be skipped by entering zeros for all the parameters.
3.4.9. Consolidation/B Table Page
The Consolidation/B Table page is used to control a consolidation phase after the
saturation phase. This page includes a K0 consolidation option. Figure 51 below shows
the page without the K0 option chosen. It contains a table whose layout is identical to
that of the Consolidation/A Table (Section 3.4.7).
Figure 51. Consolidation/B Table Page without K0 Consolidation
If the K0 Consolidation box at the bottom of the screen is clicked, the table layout
changes to that shown in Figure 52. Note that, as compared to the table in Figure 51,
the Minimum K and Maximum K columns have taken the place of the Effective
Horizontal Stress column missing.
Figure 52. Consolidation/B Table Page with K0 Consolidation
The description that follows assumes that the K0 Consolidation option has been
selected. If it is not selected, the description for the Consolidation/A Table applies.
The program runs a K0 consolidation by forcing zero lateral strain (i.e., keeping the
area constant) throughout the consolidation phase. This is done by equating the
vertical strain to the volumetric strain. (See example graph below.)
Figure 53. K0 Consolidation Graph
When running a K0 test, be sure that the following conditions are satisfied.
1. The test cell has to be filled with de-aerated water.

2. The stress rate has to be as slow as possible for the software program to make
the appropriate closed loop control adjustments.
3. The temperature of the lab should be maintained as constant as possible.
Each row in the Consolidation/B table represents one stress step (load step) in the
consolidation/B phase. TRIAXIAL can perform the K0 Consolidation by applying up to
32 steps of incremented effective vertical stress while the sample pressure is kept
constant. As the step progresses, the axial strain is kept equal to the volumetric strain
by varying the cell pressure (the horizontal stress). This is done by equating the
vertical strain to the volumetric strain.
The K used in a K0 consolidation is the coefficient of earth pressure and is defined

by the equation
where the numerator and denominator are the horizontal earth pressure and vertical
earth pressure, respectively.
K0 is the coefficient of earth pressure at rest (i.e., when there is no lateral

movement). For this situation, K0 = 1 − sin ɸ (Jaky's Solution, 1944) where the angle ɸ
is the angle of shear resistance (the effective internal friction angle). Typical values
of K0 are shown in the table below.
Typical Approximate Values of K0 (Bishop and Henkel, 1962)
Soil Type K0
Loose, saturated sand 0.5
Dense, saturated sand 0.35
Sandy clay 0.43
Normally consolidated clay 0.4 – 0.7
Lightly overconsolidated clay 0.8 – 1.2
Heavily overconsolidated clay 1.2 – 2.8
Remolded clay 0.7
Boulder clay, compacted 0.56
A description of the parameters used in running a K0 Consolidation are listed and

described below.
Maximum K is the maximum value that the ratio of effective horizontal stress to
effective vertical stress is allowed to attain as the axial strain is kept equal to the
volumetric strain. When necessary, adjustments are made to keep K below the
maximum value. The ratio is continually updated as the step progresses.
Minimum K is the minimum value that the ratio of effective horizontal stress to
effective vertical stress is allowed to attain as the axial strain is kept equal to the
volumetric strain. When necessary, adjustments are made to keep K above the
minimum value. The ratio is continually updated as the step progresses.
Effective Vertical Stress specifies the target effective value (total minus sample
pressure) you wish to apply in each step. Any value may be entered. If you enter a
value that is larger than the force transducer or a pressure transducer can apply, you
will receive a warning when the transducer reaches its capacity and the software will
not apply any more force or pressure so as not to overload the system.
Stress Rate specifies the rate at which TRIAXIAL will increase the vertical stress as
the stress condition moves from the effective vertical stress value measured at the
start of the step to the value specified for the step. Once the specified value is
reached, the program will maintain this condition until the end of the step. The flow
pumps can supply approximately 400 ml per minute and the platen can move at
approximately 32 mm (1.25 in) per minute. Except for very unusual circumstances,
these characteristics are sufficient for maintaining a desired stress rate.
Duration Type specifies the criterion (Displacement or Volume) that will be used
for determining the duration of a step. The criterion to be used is chosen by clicking
on the pull-down button at the right of the Duration Type column.
The duration of a step depends on several factors, one of which is the time it takes
to reach the T100 condition (the condition of 100% primary consolidation). The basis
on which TRIAXIAL determines the T100 condition can be either the change in
specimen height (Displacement) or the change in overall specimen size (Volume). In

either case, TRIAXIAL determines T100 by utilizing a graph for which the horizontal
axis is the square root of time (see Figure 54 below).
Figure 54. Real-Time Graph of T100
Once the program has constructed the green line, it draws the blue line starting at
the same place as the green line and with a slope equal to the green-line slope divided
by 1.15. Note that the starting point of the two lines is not the same as the starting
point of data recording. This is due to the compression that occurred during
Initialization. The intercept of the blue line and the data curve indicates T90. The
turquoise horizontal line is drawn through this interception point. T100 is found by
multiplying T90 by 1.5 and the first vertical yellow line indicates the result. The
second vertical yellow line indicates the end of the T100 offset (see description of
T100 offset below).
Maximum Duration specifies the maximum period of time during which the stress
step will continue.
Minimum Duration specifies the minimum period of time during which the stress
step will continue.
The recommended values for the maximum and minimum durations are shown in
the following table.
Recommended Duration Settings for a Consolidation Phase
Soil Type Recommended Max. Duration Recommended Min. Duration
Sandy Silt 24 hours 30 min
Silty Clay 24 hours 60 min
Plastic Clay 24 hours 120 min
T100 Offset determines how long a step will continue after either the T100 time
or the Minimum Duration time (whichever is longer) has been reached (unless the
Maximum Duration time is reached before the end of the combination of times).
*Note: A value for T100 Offset needs to be entered only when you want a
step in the test to go to the secondary consolidation. If you need the rate
of secondary consolidation, Cα, then the T100 Offset value should be at
least 10 times the T100 time so that the program will have time to
calculate a good value for the slope of the secondary consolidation
curve/line.
Read Table contains the parameter (time, strain, displacement or volume) chosen
to control the condition under which data for the consolidation phase are read and
stored. (See the description of the Read Table, Section 3.4.4, for details.) The choice
is made by clicking the drop-down button at the right of the column and choosing the
desired parameter.
The K0 Gain that needs to be entered on the Consolidation/B page (second text
field from the bottom) is approximately equal to the bulk modulus of the soil. The K0
Gain will adjust the cell confining pressure rate accordingly to maintain a zero lateral
strain. K0 Gain is the ratio of stress to the volumetric strain change per unit time and
is approximately equivalent to the bulk modulus of the specimen being tested. The
equation shown below defines the bulk modulus (which is the inverse of the
compressibility).
In the equation, P is pressure and V is volume.
The bulk modulus thus measures the response in pressure due to a change in
relative volume, essentially measuring the substance's resistance to uniform
compression.
The bulk modulus is related to the Young’s modulus, E, and the shear modulus, G,
through the equation below.
Typical Young’s Modulus and Shear Modulus values for various soil types are shown
in the following published tables.
EM1110-1-1904: Engineering and Design Settlement Analysis by Army Corps Eng.
Soil Es, tsf Es, kPa

Very soft clay 5 - 50 500 - 4800
Soft clay 50 - 200 4800 - 19200
Medium clay 200 - 500 19200 - 47900
CLAY
Stiff clay, Silty clay 500 - 1000 47900 - 95800
Sandy clay 250 -2000 23900 - 191500
Clay shale 1000 - 2000 95800 - 191500
Loose sand 100 - 250 9600 - 23900
Dense sand 250 - 1000 23900 - 95800
SAND Dense sand and
gravel 1000 - 2000 95800 - 191500
Silty sand 250 - 2000 23900 - 191500
Advanced Soil Mechanics by B. M. Das
Poisson's
Soil Type Ratio, ν
Loose sand 0.20 - 0.40
Medium dense sand 0.25 - 0.40
Dense sand 0.30 - 0.45
Silty sand 0.20 - 0.40
Sand and gravel 0.15 - 0.35
Where ν ≈ 0.25+(0.0025)x(PI), where PI = Plasticity Index (Wroth, 1975)
Design applications of raft foundations by J. A. Hemsley
Poisson's Ratio
Soil Type Short-term
Long-term Loading
Loading
Gravel 0.3 0.3
Sand 0.35 0.3
Silt, silty clay 0.45 0.35
Stiff clay 0.45 0.25
Soft clay 0.5 0.4
Compacted clay 0.45 0.3
K0 Pressure Limit is the maximum pressure limit allowed, and is used so that the
system does not accidentally apply an excessively large stress rate.
To delete or insert a step in either consolidation table, right click on the number
(far left column) for the step to be deleted or inserted. A window showing the two
options will open. (The figure below shows the window that opens when a right
clicking on a step.) Left clicking Delete will delete that step. Left clicking Insert will
insert a copy of that step. After the change has been made, all rows following the
chosen step will be renumbered.
Figure 55. Delete or Insert a Step
This consolidation phase can be skipped by entering zero values into the Horizontal
Stress and Vertical Stress columns.
3.4.10. Shear Table Page
Figure 56. Shear Table Page
The Shear Table page (shown in Figure 56 above) is used to enter parameters that
control the shear phase of a triaxial test. TRIAXIAL can perform the shear phase by
utilizing up to 32 different stress path steps. Each path is defined on a row of the
Shear Table.
Given below are two examples of the shear phase for the most commonly run
triaxial tests:
CU (or R, or R ) Shear Phase for Triaxial Undrained Compression Test
For a typical triaxial test where the specimen is sheared in an undrained condition
by increasing the vertical stress, the Shear Table might consist of one row of values as
shown in Figure 57 below.
Figure 57. CU Test Shear Table
The Vertical Stress can be a very large value and should be equal to the vertical
load cell capacity divided by the area of the specimen to ensure that the maximum
strain is reached.
The parameters chosen in the figure above will shear the specimen undrained (i.e.,
the sample flow pump will not adjust for any changes in pore pressure). The specimen
will be sheared at 0.02% strain/min under strain control until the axial strain equals a
maximum value of 25%. The system will then close the cell flow pump valve and stop
the test. During the phase, data will be collected at the times specified in the Strain
column of the Read Table. A typical and convenient way to set up the Read Table is
to put 0 in the first cell of the Strain column, 0.025 in the second cell and leave the
remaining cells 0. This will cause data to be taken in 0.025 % increments and result in
1000 data points for a maximum strain of 25%. (See the description of the Read Table,
Section 3.4.4, for details.)
CD (or S) Shear Phase for Triaxial Drained Compression Test
For a typical triaxial test where the specimen is sheared in a drained condition by
increasing the vertical stress, the Shear Table might consist of one row of values as
shown in Figure 58 below.
Figure 58. CD Test Shear Table
The Vertical Stress can be a very large value and should be equal to the vertical
load cell capacity divided by the area of the specimen to ensure that the maximum
strain is reached.
These parameters will shear the specimen drained (i.e., the sample flow pump will
adjust to allow no change in pore pressure). The specimen will be sheared at 0.02%
strain/min under strain control until the axial strain equals a maximum value of 25%.
The system will then close all valves and stop the test. During the phase, data will be
collected at the times specified in the Strain column of the Read Table. A typical and
convenient way to set up the Read Table is to put 0 in the first cell of the Strain
column, 0.025 in the second cell and leave the remaining cells 0. This will cause data
to be taken in 0.025 % increments and result in 1000 data points for a maximum strain
of 25%. (See the description of the Read Table, Section 3.4.4, for details.)
While most tests are run using some variation of entries shown in the two examples
above, many directions are possible for a stress path. The following explanation of
the columns in the table shows the range of possibilities.
In the Horizontal Stress and Vertical Stress columns, information is entered which
TRIAXIAL uses to reach a target stress condition on the specimen. The value that
needs to be entered to achieve the desired target depends on the Stress Type chosen.
(the value entered is the total stress, not effective stress.) If the stress type is
Absolute (chosen using the pull-down button at the right of the Stress Type column),
the value entered is the target value itself. If the Stress Type is Relative, the value
entered is the increment which TRIAXIAL will add to the stress that was being applied
to the specimen at the beginning of the shear phase. The initial value plus the value
entered is the target value.
Similarly, TRIAXIAL uses the value entered in the Pore Pressure Change column as
the actual target value for pore pressure or as an increment to be added to the value
at the beginning of the step, depending on the Stress Type (actual target for
Absolute, increment to be added for Relative). In addition, the use of the value
depends on the Shear Step Type. The three types are Undrained, Drained and
Absolute. (A Shear Step Type is chosen using the pull-down button at the right of
that column.) In an Undrained or Drained step, the value entered in the Pore
Pressure Change column will be ignored. In an Absolute step, the value entered will
be used to determine the target value.
In an Undrained step, stresses will be applied or axial strain will be controlled

(depending on the control parameter chosen in the Shear Step Control column) with
no volume change of the specimen permitted. For an Undrained step, TRIAXIAL
ignores any entry in the Pore Pressure Change column but monitors the pore pressure
changes. The step will continue with changes being made until the changing stresses
reach the target values for this step or the axial strain reaches the specified Maximum
Strain.
In a Drained step, stresses or axial strain will be controlled (depending on the

control parameter chosen in the Shear Step Control column) and the pore pressure
will be kept constant at the value it had at the beginning of the shear step. The step
will continue with changes being made until the changing stresses reach the target
values for this step or the axial strain reaches the specified Maximum Strain.
Normally for an Undrained or Drained step, the value in the Pore Pressure Change
column will be zero. For these types of steps, a value put there does not affect the
test in any way, so having zero in the column is appropriate.
In an Absolute step, the value in the Pore Pressure Change column is used to
determine a target value for the step (either added to the initial pore pressure value
or used as the target value, depending on the choice in the Stress Type column).
Stresses will be applied or strain will be controlled (depending on the control
parameter chosen in the Shear Step Control column) and the pore pressure changed.
The step will continue with changes being made until the changing stresses and pore
pressure reach the target values for this step or the axial strain reaches the specified
Maximum Strain.
A shear step can be performed either under Strain control or Stress control (chosen
using the pull-down button at the right of the Shear Step Control column. Note that
for Strain control to work properly, a non-zero value needs to be put in the Vertical
Stress column while zero values are put in the Horizontal Stress and Pore Pressure
Change columns. For Stress control, a non-zero value can be put in more than one of
these columns. The control choice is made by clicking on the pull-down button at the
right of the Shear Step Control column. The control choice determines how TRIAXIAL
interprets the entry in the Rate column and how it uses values in other columns.
If Strain control is chosen, the entry in the Rate column is taken to be the rate of
change for axial strain in percent strain per unit time. For a positive value, the
specimen will be compressed at the specified rate of strain, the vertical stress will be
monitored, and the horizontal stress will be adjusted as necessary to maintain the
stress path which has been defined from the entries in the Horizontal Stress and
Vertical Stress columns. If there is a non-zero entry in the Pore Pressure Change
column, the pore pressure will be adjusted so that its target value is reached at the
same time as the target value for the horizontal and vertical stresses. For a negative
value the specimen will be stretched (extended) at the specified rate of strain, and
the horizontal stress and pore pressure will be adjusted as necessary to match the rate
of change in vertical stress.
If Stress control is chosen, the entry in the Rate column is taken to be the rate of
change of stress in whatever stress unit has been selected per unit time. This rate
together with a combination of the change in vertical stress and change in horizontal
stress (determined from the entries in the Horizontal Stress and Vertical Stress
columns) is used to calculate a time to reach the target values. The rate at which
TRIAXIAL changes the horizontal and vertical stresses in the shear step is calculated
using the entries from the Horizontal Stress and Vertical Stress columns and this
time. If there is a non-zero entry in the Pore Pressure Change column (and the Shear
Step Type is Absolute), the time is also used to determine the rate at which TRIAXIAL
changes the pore pressure. This ensures that the horizontal stress, the vertical stress,
and the pore pressure will reach their target values at the same time.
The Maintain Time column is used to enter the length of time to maintain stresses
once the target values have been reached (or the maximum strain is attained). The
step will end after this additional time has elapsed. A zero time can be specified in
this column, in which case the step will end when the specified stress or strain
conditions are reached. This function is very useful when the user is trying to simulate
a loading period followed by a resting period (e.g., construction followed by a
consolidation period). Further shear after the stress maintaining period can be easily
applied by creating more shear steps.
The Read Table column is used to select the parameter that TRIAXIAL uses to read
and store data as the test proceeds. The possible parameters are Time, Strain,
Displacement or Volume. Data will be read when the specified value in the
appropriate column on the Read Table page is reached.
SECTION 4: TRIAXIAL CONTROL PROGRAM CHECK

*Note: The instructions in this section should be followed any time the
system has been turned off, any component has been disconnected and
reconnected, or a new user wishes to become familiar with operation of
the system. The following steps assume that the system has been set up
according to the instructions provided in the LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II
hardware manuals. The steps for the LoadTrac-II check should be
performed with nothing between the force transducer and the platen.
4.1. LoadTrac-II Check
Before trying to use the TRIAXIAL program to control the motion of the LoadTrac-II
platen, examine the LEDs on the front panel of the load frame. In the left column, all
four lights (Motor Power, CPU Power, Net Tx and Net Rx) should be on and glowing a
steady green. In the right column, both upper and lower limit switch lights and both
up and down motor lights should be off. If any light is different from these conditions,
do not continue with the control program check. Refer to the Troubleshooting section
of your Hardware manual. If you cannot correct the problem after reading the
Troubleshooting section, contact Geocomp Corp. for assistance in identifying the
issue.
If you have not already done so, open the TRIAXIAL control program and load a
template file. Bring down the View menu and click System to open the System
Monitor window. Next, click Load in the Control menu to open the Load Control
window. Position the windows so that they are side by side as shown in Figure 59
below. The Load reading on the System Monitor window should be around 32767
counts.
Figure 59. System Monitor and Load Control Windows (LoadTrac-II Check)
Be certain nothing is on the platen. Click anywhere on the Load Control window to
activate it (if it is not already the active window). Enter a load value greater than
that shown on the System Monitor window. Click the Go button. You should hear the
load frame making a slight sound and see the green Motor Up LED come on while the
platen moves up. Click the Stop button to stop the platen movement. Again, click the
Go button but this time let the motion continue. When the bottom of the platen is
about 105 mm (4.1 in) above the top surface of the LoadTrac-II enclosure, the motion
should stop. The Upper Limit LED will flash on and off showing that the upper limit
switch has been triggered. The platen has now reached its maximum height.
On the Load Control window, enter a load value less than that shown on the
System Monitor window. Click the Go button. You should hear the load frame making
a slight sound and see the green Motor Down LED come on while the platen moves
down. Click the Stop button to stop the platen. Again, click the Go button but this
time let the motion continue. When the bottom of the platen is about 20 mm (0.75 in)
above the top surface of the LoadTrac-II enclosure, the motion should stop. The
Lower Limit LED will flash on and off showing that the lower limit switch has been
triggered. The platen has now reached its minimum height.
Click on the System Monitor window to activate it. Observe the reading for Load
as you push up/pull down on the bottom of the load cell with your hand. You should
see the value increase/decrease by a small amount (a few counts or less than 20 lbs).
Observe the Displacement reading on the System Monitor window as you move the
displacement transducer shaft down, then let it come back up. The reading should
change significantly as you move the shaft. (The displacement transducer shaft comes
up out of the load frame and rests against the underside of the platen.)
If all of the above steps have worked without a problem, you have successfully
completed the LoadTrac-II check for your LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system.
4.2. FlowTrac-II Check
Before trying to use the TRIAXIAL program to control the FlowTrac-II pump,
examine the front panel of each FlowTrac-II unit. In the left column, all four lights
(Motor Power, CPU Power, Net Tx and Net Rx) should be on and glowing a steady
green. In the right column, both limit switch lights (Limit Empty and Limit Full and
both flow lights (Flow Out and Flow In) should be off. If any light is different from
these conditions, do not continue with the control program check. Refer to the
Troubleshooting section of your Hardware manual. If you cannot correct the problem
after reading the Troubleshooting section, contact Geocomp Corp. for assistance in
identifying the issue.
If you have not already done so, open the TRIAXIAL control program and load a
template file. Bring down the View menu and click System to open the System
Monitor window. Next, bring down the Control menu and click Cell Pressure to open
the Cell Pressure Control window. Finally, again bring down the Control menu and
click Valves to open the Valves Control window. Position the windows so that they are
side by side.
For each FlowTrac-II unit put the supply tube in a container of de-aerated water
and the output tube in an empty container.
*WARNING: Do not run a flow pump without water in the cylinder. Dry
operation can damage the seal around the flow pump piston.
On the Valves Control window, in the Cell Pressure section, click the Output Valve
Close button and the Supply Valve Open button. The Output Valve light on the front
panel of the cell pressure FlowTrac-II unit should be off and the Supply Valve light
should be glowing. Look at the Cell Pressure reading (in counts) on the System Monitor
window. On the Cell Pressure Control window, enter a value in the left-hand text
field that is about 500 counts less than that on the System Monitor window. Click the
Go button on the Cell Pressure Control window. You should hear the cell pressure
FlowTrac-II unit making a slight sound and see the green Flow In LED come on while
water is being drawn into the pump. Click the Stop button to stop the pump. Again,
click the Go button but this time let the motion continue. When the pump cylinder is
completely full, the pump will stop and the Limit Full LED will flash on and off showing
that the end-of-range limit switch has been triggered.
Click on the System Monitor window to activate it. Leaving the output valve open
and the input valve closed, observe the reading for Cell Pressure as you raise the
output tube above your head and lower it to the floor. You should see the value
increase/decrease over a range of about 200 counts.
Replace the Cell Pressure Control window with the Sample Pressure Control
window. Repeat the pump filling and emptying procedure (beginning with the fifth
paragraph of this section, replacing the word “cell” with the word “sample”) for the
FlowTrac-II unit that will control the sample pressure.
If all of the above steps have worked without a problem, you have successfully
completed the FlowTrac-II check for your LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system.
SECTION 5: DEFINING TEST PARAMETERS

The description for defining test parameters assumes that you are familiar with the
various menus and Property Pages in TRIAXIAL and how to move from one to another.
If you do not have this familiarity, you should read through Sections 3.3 and 3.4.
TRIAXIAL is shipped with a template file (Triaxial CU.temp.dat) that contains a set
of default parameters. When you open TRIAXIAL the first time, load this template file
into the program (see Load in Section 3.3.1). If sensors were included in the
LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system that you purchased from Geocomp Corp., the sensors
were calibrated at Geocomp Corp.’s factory and the template file contains the correct
calibration factors. If you have supplied your own sensors, you will need to calibrate
the sensors so that the template file will have the calibration factors. (See Appendix
A for the calibration procedure.) The sensors should be calibrated periodically as tests
are run.
Before starting your first test, be sure you have loaded the template data file that
was supplied on your Geocomp Corp. CD. Then you will need to enter additional
information related specifically to your test into the Property Pages of the Properties
Sheet. This additional information will control how the test runs and how the data are
processed.
Most tests are performed with nearly identical test information. Consequently,
sequential tests can be performed by making small changes to the test parameters
after a test is completed. If you have closed the TRIAXIAL program (after saving the
test file) and then opened it again, you can load a previous test file, make minor
changes and run the next test.
Before running a test, correct values for at least the following information must be
entered into the TRIAXIAL program:
Calibration factors and offsets (on the Calibration Summary window opened
using the Calibration menu)
Specimen Initial Diameter and Height (on the Specimen page of the Properties
Sheet)
Time, Strain, Displacement or Volume values (on the Read Table page of the
Properties Sheet)
Test Parameters (on the Test Parameters page of the Properties Sheet)
Phase Parameters (on the Saturation, Consolidation and Shear Table pages of
the Properties Sheet)

will not be saved.
All other information entered using the TRIAXIAL menu windows and Properties
Sheet is used only for test identification and reporting and is not critical to the running
of the test. The additional information may be entered while the test is running or
after the test has finished.
Calibration factors and offsets: If the sensors have not been calibrated recently,
calibrate them by using the procedure described in Appendix A.
Specimen Initial Diameter and Height: During the preparation of a specimen (see
Section 6.1) you will need to measure the specimen diameter and height and record
the values. Before starting a test, you will need to enter the recorded values on the
Specimen page (see Section 6.2).
Time, Strain, Displacement or Volume values: Information on the Read Table

page may not need to be changed if you are running a series of similar tests. If they
do need to be changed, be sure to do so before starting a test.
Test Parameters: Information on the Test Parameters page may not need to be
changed if you are running a series of similar tests. If they do need to be changed, be
sure to do so before starting a test.
Phase Parameters: Information on the pages for the various phases may not need
to be changed if you are running a series of similar tests. If they do need to be
changed, be sure to do so before starting a test.
After you have run several tests, you will be able to load a file that has similar
parameters to the test you are setting up. If you do this, you will have a minimal
number of parameters to change.
SECTION 6: RUNNING A TEST

Before running a test, please read through Sections 3 and 5 so that you are familiar
with how information is entered by way of the menu windows and the Properties
Sheet, how the TRIAXIAL control program runs a test and what is involved in defining
test parameters.
6.1. Preparing a Specimen
Preparing a specimen for testing in a LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system is similar to

preparing the sample for a test performed manually. The difference is that the results
of measurements you will make during the preparation must be entered into the
TRIAXIAL program by way of the Specimen page and Water Content page of the
Properties Sheet.
*Note: The mounting of the specimen in the test cell involves placing a
latex membrane over the specimen and positioning O-rings around the base
pedestal and top cap. The best way to do this is with a membrane
stretcher or a split vacuum mold that both can be purchased from Geocomp
Corp. as an accessory. If you do not have either one, it is important that
you obtain one before starting to prepare the specimen. See Figure 60.
Figure 60. Sample Preparation Accessories
6.1.1. Undisturbed Specimen
Trim the specimen into as nearly a cylindrical shape as possible with the correct
diameter and height for the triaxial test you plan to do. (Do not discard the
trimmings.) Typical dimensions are a 50.8 mm (2 in) diameter and a 101.6 mm (4 in)
height.
Select a representative sample of the trimmings that were left after you cut the
specimen to the correct size. You will need to put the trimmings in a container (e.g.,
a large evaporating dish) so that they can be dried. The container is referred to as the
tare. The results of the measurements described below will be put in the text fields
of the Before Test section of the Water Content page (see Section 6.7).
First, mark the container with some identifying label. Next, weigh the container
to the nearest 0.01 gram and record the value. (This will be the Trimmings Tare
Weight in the Before Test section of the Water Content page.) Now put the sample of
trimmings into the container and weigh the combination of trimmings and container to
the nearest 0.01 gram. Record the resulting value. (This will be the Trimmings Wet
Weight in the Before Test section of the Water Content page.)
The trimmings can be dried after the test has been started.
Carefully measure its diameter and height. Make three diameter measurements
(one near the top, one in the middle and one near the bottom) to within 0.25 mm
(0.01 in), average the three values and record the result. Make three height
measurements (each a third of the way around the cylinder) to the same precision as
for the diameter, average the values and record the result. Weigh the specimen to
the nearest 0.01 grams and record the value. You will need to enter the recorded
measurement values on the Specimen page at the time of starting the test.
Prepare the triaxial cell by thoroughly rinsing the base and top, and then using a
Q-tip to clean any residual grease and soil particles from the O-ring surfaces. If the
pedestal (same diameter as the specimen) is not already in place, position it so that
the two water-transfer tubes slip through the small holes in the pedestal, and then use
the Philips-head bolt to fasten it to the base. Place a wet porous stone (with
matching diameter) on the pedestal.
Figure 61. Triaxial Base
The details of putting the specimen into the cell depend on the shape of the filter
paper you will be using. (Filter paper is important for helping water transfer during
the Consolidation phase, especially for clay specimens.) The instructions below
assume that strips of filter paper, positioned along the sides of the specimen, will be
used. The dimensions given assume a specimen having a 50.8 mm (2 in) diameter and
a 101.6 mm (4 in) height. The instructions can be modified if a filter paper cage or
other form of filter paper is used.
If you have not already done so, cut the filter paper you will be using into strips
that are about 6 mm (0.25 in) wide and 255 mm (10 in) long. Select two strips, wet
the middle two inches and position the strips across the porous stone so that they form
a cross (with the center of the cross on the disc). Place the specimen onto the porous
stone being careful to center the specimen on the porous stone. Wet about 1 in of the
end of each strip. Lift the strips up along the specimen sides and fold the ends over
the top. Place a second wet porous stone on the top of the specimen being careful to
center it on the specimen. Finally place the top cap onto the porous stone being
careful to center it on the porous stone. Wet the filter paper strips that lie along the
sides of the specimen. (An easy way to do this is with a water-filled squeeze bottle.)
The next task is getting the latex membrane and O-rings in place. Insert the
membrane into the membrane stretcher, fold the ends of the membrane over the ends
of the stretcher cylinder and suck the air out from between the membrane and the
inner wall of the stretcher cylinder (see Figure 62).
*Note: It is highly recommended that you cover the vacuum inlet on the
inside of the stretcher with a small piece of filter paper. This is
recommended to prevent the vacuum from damaging the membrane.
Figure 62. Membrane Stretcher with Membrane
Carefully lower the stretcher with the membrane inside over the top cap and on
down until the bottom is below the bottom of the specimen. Unfold the membrane
from the bottom of the stretcher (being careful not to disturb the specimen) so that it
covers the pedestal. Unfold the membrane from the top of the stretcher so that it
surrounds the top cap. Lift the stretcher off of the membrane.
Figure 63. Specimen with Membrane
The stretcher can now be used to facilitate the positioning of the O-rings. Near
one end, position an O-ring around the outside of the stretcher. Lower that end over
the membrane-covered specimen until the end of the stretcher is approximately even
with the pedestal O-ring grove. Roll the O-ring off of the stretcher and position it in
the pedestal groove. Use the same procedure, this time lowering the stretcher so that
its end is approximately even with the top cap O-ring groove, to position an O-ring in
the top cap groove. Fold the top of the membrane down over the top O-ring.
Figure 64. Specimen with Membrane and O-Rings
*Note: We recommend that you cover the specimen with a second membrane.
Again use the stretcher to do this but this time put an O-ring just below and
just above each of the first two O-rings. Fold the top of the second membrane
down over the O-rings.
Insert the plastic tubing that comes up from the base, into the top cap. If there
are connectors on the top cap, be sure to push the tubing all the way down against the
porous stone and then tighten the connectors (see Figure 65 below).
Figure 65. Specimen Tubing Setup
Position the plastic cylindrical chamber on the base so that it fits evenly against
the base O-ring. Position the cell top on the chamber so that the chamber fits evenly
against the cell-top O-ring. Slide the piston through the hole in the cell top and insert
it into the hole in the specimen top cap. Be sure it slides all the way into the hole and
seats firmly on the bottom (but do not press down hard on the piston). (If you are
doing an extension test, screw the threaded nipple that is on one end of the piston
into the threaded hole in the top cap.) Do not lock the piston yet. Align the 3 outer
notches in the top and base portions of the cell unit and secure the unit together with
the 3 posts and 3 post knobs. Alternate tightening each knob one half rotation at a
time to secure the cell unit components together and prevent leaks from occurring.
After the knobs have been tightened, lock the piston in place. See Figure 66 below.
Figure 66. Triaxial Cell and Specimen Setup
You are now ready to fill the chamber with clean water (it does not have to be de-
aerated). Move the assembled triaxial cell and specimen to a water source. The
easiest way to do this is to connect a length of plastic tubing from a faucet to the
center valve of the triaxial base (see Figure 67 below). The tube needs to have a
nipple on one end that fits the cell-pressure quick-connect coupling. Close the four
valves associated with the sample-pressure tubing. Open the bleed valve on top of the
cell for relief of air pressure while the cell is being filled. If you do not have a valve,
insert a nipple into the quick-connect coupling with a plastic tube open to the
atmosphere. Fill the cell with water being sure to tilt the cell as the water gets near
the top so that no air bubbles are left in the cell. Keep filling until water comes out
of the top bleed port. Turn off the faucet, close the bleed port on top of the cell, and
detach the waterline from the cell base.
Figure 67. Filling the Triaxial Cell with Water
The next task is to get rid of air bubbles in all parts of the sample system (lines,
porous stones, spaces between the membrane and specimen, etc.). This is two-step
process. The first step gets rid of the major bubble content. Connect the tube from
the faucet to the bottom drainage valve (far left). Run a tube from the top drainage
valve (far right) to the sink. Open both the bottom and top drainage valves. Slowly
turn on the water and let it flow through the sample system. Watch the water as it
comes out of the top drainage valve into the tubing to the sink. When no more
bubbles are coming out, turn of the water, close the valves and disconnect the tubes.
The second step is designed to get rid of any residual small sized bubbles. Connect
a vacuum pump (that has a water trap in the line) to either the bottom or top
drainage valve. Connect a tube from a source of de-aerated water to the other
drainage valve. With both drainage valves closed, turn on the vacuum pump. Open
the valve to the vacuum pump and wait until the reduced pressure in the system
equalizes (a few minutes). Close the valve to the vacuum pump and open the valve to
the water source. Wait until no more water is flowing into the system. Close the
valve to the water source and again open the valve to the vacuum pump. Continue
the opening and closing of the valves for several cycles of alternate vacuum and water
transfer. Finally, close both drainage valves, turn off the vacuum pump and
disconnect the vacuum and water source tubes. You are now ready to put the test cell
on the platen, connect the cell and sample pressure tubing and start the test.
After you have started the test, dry the trimmings in an oven and again weigh the
combination to the same accuracy as specified above. Type the resulting value into
the Trimmings Dry Weight text field. (The TRIAXIAL program will perform the
necessary calculations to obtain the before-test water content of the trimmings which
should be the same as the before-test water content of the sample.)
*Note: As soon as you have entered the dry weight value, bring down the
File menu and click Save so the dry weight will be saved in the file
containing all the information for the test.
6.1.2. Recompacted Specimen
The following procedure assumes that a dry sandy soil will be prepared in the
triaxial cell. Granular samples have little to no cohesive strength, so it is
necessary to adopt additional procedures for soil preparation. These procedures
provide a means of adding a certain amount of rigidity to the sample. Compaction
of the material is required within the latex membrane housed in a split mold set
on the base unit of the triaxial cell.
Prepare the triaxial cell by thoroughly rinsing the base and top, and then using a
Q-tip to clean any residual grease and soil particles from the O-ring surfaces. If the
pedestal (same diameter as the specimen) is not already in place, position it so that
the two water-transfer tubes slip through the small holes in the pedestal, and then use
the Philips-head bolt to fasten it to the base. Place a saturated porous stone (with
matching diameter) on the pedestal.
Next, mount the latex membrane in the split sample mold. Fold the membrane
over the end segments and then roll an O-ring onto each end. Set the mold and
membrane assembly onto the triaxial cell base pedestal as shown in Figure 68 below.
Attach a rubber tube from a vacuum pump to the vacuum inlet on the split mold.
Turn on the vacuum pump and observe that the membrane is being drawn against the
inner wall of the mold. (If it is not reasonably smooth, try holding the mold tightly
together to lessen the amount of air being drawn through the gap between the two
mold halves. If it appears that the membrane is twisted inside the mold, turn off the
pump, remove the O-rings and unfold one end to reposition the membrane.)
Once the membrane is tightly against the inner wall of the mold, add soil to the
mold by scooping in some granular soil to a funnel (approximately enough to fill a 1 to
2 inch high layer in the mold). Lightly compact the layer using a tamper. Use care to
avoid tearing the membrane while compacting. Repeat the previous step until the
mold/membrane assembly is filled to roughly 1/2 inch below the top of the mold rim.
For more details of soil preparation procedures on a compacted specimen, refer to
Ladd, R.S. “Preparing Test Specimens Using Undercompaction.” Geotechnical Testing
Journal, Vol. 1, No.1, March 1978, pp. 16-23.
Figure 68. Split Mold and Membrane Assembly
When the soil is about ½ inch below the top of the mold rim, smooth the soil
surface to make it as level as possible. Place a saturated porous stone onto the
smooth soil surface and place the top cap over the porous stone. Fold the membrane
over the top cap and slide the top O-ring from the split mold to the top cap evenly
into position on the top cap sealing groove. Insert the plastic tubing that comes up
from the base, into the top cap. If there are connectors on the top cap, be sure to
push the tubing all the way down against the porous stone and then tighten the
connectors.
Switch off the vacuum pump and detach the vacuum pump hose. It is
recommended that before removing the mold, you apply a small vacuum pressure
(about 1-2 psi) to the specimen. Be sure that the vacuum pressure being applied to
the specimen does not exceed the effective stress that you will use during testing.
Check to make sure that all four sample valves are closed. Attach plastic tubing from
the vacuum pump to either the top sample valve (far right) or bottom sample valve
(far left). Turn on the vacuum pump and slowly open the sample valve to allow
vacuum pressure to enter the specimen.
Slightly separate the mold halves and tilt the top of one of the sides of the split
mold outward and remove it from the membrane while keeping the other half in place
(see Figure 69). Next, while holding the sample, remove the other half in the same
manner. While removing the split mold, make sure that the bottom O-ring slides off
the split mold and onto the base pedestal for later installation.
Figure 69. Removing Split Mold
Measure the specimen dimensions and assemble the triaxial chamber in the same
manner as described in Section 6.1.1. Fill the triaxial cell with water in the same
manner as described in Section 6.1.1. Assuming there are no leaks in the specimen, it
is safe to close the sample valves and turn off the vacuum.
6.2. Starting a Test
The following instructions assume that you have set up the LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II
system, prepared a specimen, mounted the specimen in the test cell, filled the test
cell with water and removed all air bubbles from the sample system that has been
filled with de-aerated water. (See Section 6.1 for details.) Be sure that the supply
tube for each FlowTrac-II unit is in a container of clean, de-aerated water.
Use the load frame keypad to initialize the platen. (From the LCD main menu,
select the Position option, choose Initialize, and then press the Ent. Key to start the
initialization. Refer to your LoadTrac-II Hardware manual if you are not familiar with
operating the LoadTrac-II unit manually.) The platen will move to its lowest position,
activate the lower limit switch, and then move up about 3 mm (.12 in). The bottom
line of the LCD menu should now display a “Platen is initialized” message after the
platen stops moving.
Check to be sure that the load cell button (or coupler for an extension test) will be
higher than the top of the triaxial cell piston when the cell is placed on the platen. If
necessary, adjust the position of the cross bar. Carefully place the triaxial cell
containing the specimen onto the platen. Try to avoid sudden jolts or excessive
vibrations while moving the cell. Slide the triaxial cell until its base is centered on
the platen and the piston is positioned directly under the load cell button. (If you are
doing an extension test, secure the cell to the platen using the bolts that can be fed
up through the holes in the platen and screwed into the triaxial cell base.
Alternatively, use clamps to secure the cell to the platen.) Check the gap between
the load cell and the triaxial cell. The load cell button (or coupler for an extension
test) should be no more than 38 mm (1.5 in) above the top of the triaxial cell piston.
You may need to adjust the position of the cross bar to get this spacing.
If you are doing a compression test, raise the platen (by utilizing either the Raise
or Jog option on the Position menu shown on the LoadTrac-II LCD) so that there is a
gap of about 6 mm (0.25 in) between the piston and load cell button. When it is
almost in contact with the load cell, press Esc key on the LCD panel to stop the platen
from raising. Check the alignment of the load cell button and the triaxial cell piston.
The center of the button should be directly over the center of the piston. Adjust the
position of the triaxial cell as necessary to accomplish this alignment (see Figure 70
below).
Figure 70. Triaxial Cell/Platen Alignment
If you are doing an extension test, first check to be sure the piston lock has been
tightened. Then raise the platen (by utilizing either the Raise or Jog option on the
Position menu shown on the LoadTrac-II LCD) until the piston is almost into the load
cell coupler hole. Continue, very slowly and carefully, to raise the platen so that the
piston slides into the hole and moves far enough in to be past the set screws. Tighten
the set screws.
Before connecting the FlowTrac-II pump lines to the cell, you need to bleed the
cell and sample pressure lines to insure that no bubbles are in them, and to get the
correct pressure offset value for the setup you will be using.
Figure 71. Bleeding the Lines
On the front panel LCD screen of the cell FlowTrac-II unit, open the Position menu
(option 2 on the main menu). Press 5 on the keypad to select Control Valves. Press 1
(to open the output valve). Now go back to the Position menu and select Empty
(option 1). Press the Ent. key. When you see water beginning to come out of the line,
press any key to stop the pump. Visually inspect the line and continue pushing water
out until you get rid of all the air bubbles.
Before going through the following zeroing procedures, be sure that the calibration
factors for the transducers are correct.
Use the following steps to zero the cell pressure transducer (that is in the
FlowTrac-II unit) before you connect the line to the test cell.
1. Press 5 while the Position menu is displayed to open the Control Valves
window. Check to Be sure the output valve is open. If necessary, press 1 to
open it.
2. Open the System Monitor window of the TRIAXIAL program (select the System
option in the View menu) and the Calibration Summary window (select the
Summary option in the Calibrate menu).
3. Raise the end of the output line to the location that corresponds to the mid-
height of the soil sample. Record the pressure value (in counts) that is shown
on the System Monitor window (the left-hand text field for the pressure
reading).
4. On the Calibration Summary window, select the Cell Pressure Channel. Type
the pressure value you recorded into the Offset text field. Click the Apply
button.
Be sure there is no air gap at the end of the cell-pressure line and connect it to the
test cell.
Repeat this procedure for the sample FlowTrac-II unit.
Connect the output tube from each flow pump unit to the appropriate quick-
connect coupling (or push-in connect) on the triaxial test cell (cell line to the center
coupling, sample line to the far-left coupling). If you are running a CU triaxial test, be
sure that all sample pressure valves are open except for the top sample valve (far
right). See Figure 72 below.
Figure 72. Valve Configuration for CU Triaxial Test
It is important to be sure that the load cell is zeroed before starting every test. To
do this, go through the following procedure.
1. Be certain the load cell is not in contact with anything.
2. Bring down the View menu and select System to open the System Monitor
window
3. Bring down the Calibrate menu and select Summary to open the Calibration
Summary window. Position this window beside the System Monitor window.
4. Note the Load reading in counts on the System Monitor window (top left text
field) and compare it to the Offset value on the Calibration Summary window
(be sure Load is selected for the Channel choice).
5. If the values differ by two or more counts, replace the Offset value with the
Load reading.
6. Click the Apply button, the Download button and then the Ok button to close
the Calibration Summary window.
7. The Load reading in engineering units on the System Monitor window (top right
text field) should now be zero.
If you have not already done so, enter the information relevant to the test on the
Project page of the Properties Sheet.
Be sure that the calibration factors and offsets are correct, and that the Read
Table parameters, test parameters and phase parameters have been entered on the
appropriate Properties Sheet pages.
Click the Specimen tab to display the Specimen page. Enter the Initial Diameter,
Initial Height and Initial Sample Weight that was recorded when the specimen was
prepared.
If you want accurate void ratios and degrees of saturation for the test, you will
need to enter an accurately measured value for the sample’s specific gravity. If these
are not critical, select Estimated from the list opened by using the pull-down tab and
enter a value you have determined from a list of specific gravities for various soil
types (or from some other source). Alternatively, you can select Implied and let the
TRIAXIAL program determine a value.
If you do not know the plasticity of the sample, click the circle beside Unknown.
Otherwise, specify one of the two types.
Values for the liquid limit and plastic limit do not have to be entered, but they will
be a part of the saved test file. Enter them if you know what they are.
The following information is to be put in the Before Test section of the Water
Content page. Type the identifying label of the container holding the trimmings
obtained during the specimen preparation into the Trimmings Tare ID text field. Type
the container weight and combined container and trimmings weight (that were
recorded when the specimen was prepared) into the Trimmings Tare Weight and
Trimming Wet Weight text fields respectively.
Check the values on the various other Properties Sheet pages to be sure they are
correct for the test you are about to run.
You are now ready to start the test.
*WARNING: The LCD menu on the LoadTrac-II panel must not be showing
the Jog option when a test is running. Be sure that there is some other
display on the screen (preferably the system monitor) when you start a
test. Do not go to the Jog option while a test is running.
From the Run menu, choose Start. The Save As window (shown in Figure 73 below)
will open.
Figure 73. Save As window
Choose a folder and change the file name for saving the new test file and then
click Save.
After you have clicked Save, the window in Figure 74 below will open, giving you
the choices described on the window.
*Note: Although clicking Cancel on the window shown in the figure below
will cancel the start of the test, the file you saved will remain saved.
Figure 74. Initialize Flow Pumps Window
*Note: Using the software option to initialize the flow pumps will fill the
pumps to the volume specified on the Hardware Setup window (Hardware
item on the Options menu). Typical settings are 75% for the cell pump and
50% for the sample pump. If your sample is fairly porous, you will need to
change these settings to as high as 90% for the sample pump and as low as
10% for the cell pump. If you need to change the settings, click Cancel,
make the changes on the Hardware Setup window and restart the test.
*CAUTION: Before initializing the pumps, be sure that the supply tubing is
immersed in a container of water or the cylinder will be filled with air.
The water should be de-aerated.
*WARNING: Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not run a flow pump

without water in the cylinder. Dry operation can damage the seal around
the flow pump piston.
If you click No, the automatic filling of the pumps will be skipped. Before
continuing, you will need to initialize the flow pumps manually. You can do this by
using the keypad and LCD screen. However, if you use the Initialize option on the
FlowTrac-II Positioning menu that is shown on the LCD screen, the pump will be filled
to 50 %. You will then need to use the Fill or Empty options on the Positioning menu
to set the percentage you want. (See your FlowTrac-II Hardware manual for details.)
If you click Yes, the green Supply Valve LED on each FlowTrac-II front panel will
glow, indicating that the supply solenoid valves have opened. Then the pump motors
begin to empty the pump cylinders, as indicated by the glowing of the green Flow Out
LED’s. When a cylinder is empty, the corresponding red Empty Limit LED will blink
briefly. Then the pump motor will reverse and begin to fill the pump cylinder, as
indicated by the glowing of the green Flow In LED. The fill process will continue until
each pump cylinder is filled to the percentage specified in the Hardware Setup
window.
During the flow pump initialization, the following window will be shown on the
screen.
Figure 75. Initializing Flow Pumps Window
*Note: If you click OK before the initialization is complete, whatever

condition has been reached will be maintained until changed by a step in
the test.
When the initialization has been completed (as indicated by the stopping of the
pump motors and the turning off of the green Flow In LEDs) click OK (or you can abort
the test at any time by clicking Cancel).
When you click OK, the window shown in Figure 76 will open, giving you the
choices described on the window.
Figure 76. Position Platen Window
For a compression test:
Click Yes to position the platen. When you do so, the window shown in Figure 77
will open. You will hear the stepper motor in the load frame begin to run and the
green LED for Motor Up will come on.
*CAUTION: Do not click OK on the Positioning Platen window shown in the

figure below until the platen stops moving. Clicking OK before the platen
stops will result in data being collected for an interval of time before the
load begins to be applied.
Figure 77. Positioning Platen Window
As soon as the load cell senses contact with the piston, the stepper motor will
stop. When this happens, check to be sure the top of the triaxial cell piston is seated
correctly in the load cell button. When you are certain everything is ready for the test
to begin, click OK. Doing so will open the Unlock Piston window shown in Figure 78
below.
For an extension test:
Click No on the Position Platen window. Doing so will skip the positioning process
and result in opening the Unlock Piston window shown in the figure below.
Figure 78. Unlock Piston Window
Be sure to unlock the piston. Click OK to start the test. (Alternatively, you can
click Cancel to cancel the start of the test.) When you click OK, the control program
will begin the phase you have chosen as the Start Phase on the Test Parameters
Property Page. Usually this is the Initialization phase.
While the test is running, you can make changes on the Consolidation Tables, the
Shear Table and/or the Read Table based on what you see as you monitor the test (see
Section 6.4 for details). Or, you can let it run to completion without making any
changes.
*CAUTION: Do not unload the specimen (i.e., lower the platen and/or
reduce the cell/sample pressure) until the test is finished and you are
ready to dismantle it. Interrupting the program and changing the specimen
load may alter the consolidation and/or shear condition and result in a
continuation of the test giving erroneous results.
As stated at the end of Section 6.1 (Preparing a Specimen), the trimmings can be
dried while the test is running. After the container with the dry trimmings has been
removed from the oven, weigh the combination of container and trimmings to the
nearest 0.01 gram and record the result so that it can be typed into the Trimmings Dry
Weight text field in the Before Test section of the Water Content page after the test is
finished.
6.3. Monitoring a Test
You can examine the data during a test in numeric or graphic form. Pull down the
View menu and choose one of the last three options (Test Monitor, Test Graph or Test
T100). See Section 3.3.2, View Menu, for a sample window that is opened for each
option.
The Test Monitor option opens a window that presents the current status of the
test in numeric form. The information on the window will be relevant to the test
phase that is running. On each display, the estimated time remaining for the current
step as well as the step elapsed time and test elapsed time will be shown. (If the
phase does not contain any steps, the times in the step text fields are those for the
phase.) This window is displayed in real time and updated every second.
The Test Graph option opens a window that shows four graphs. The information
plotted on the graphs will be relevant to the test phase that is running. The graphs
are displayed in real time and automatically updated every second.
The Test T100 option, for a consolidation phase, opens a window that shows a
graph of displacement versus the square root of time and the graphical construction
used to determine the T100 time. The graph is useful in finding out when the T100
condition occurs so that the T100 Offset can be adjusted (if you need to do a
secondary consolidation) as the test proceeds. This window is displayed in real time
and updated every second.
You can open all three windows at once or move from one data display to another
at any time during a test.
*Note: In addition to examining the data as they are collected, you can
monitor the progress of data reduction presented on the various Report
windows. First close any Report windows opened using the Report menu.
Next, bring down the File menu and click Load. Finally, open the Report
window (or windows) you wish to view. The information on the window
will be based on the data collected during the test up to the time you
clicked Load.
6.4. Modifying a Test
You can change test parameters while the test is running. However, keep in mind
that control of the test is by way of the parameters stored in the computer RAM.
When changes are made, the changes are put in the edit fields of the TRIAXIAL
program and do not go into RAM. If you want the changes to take effect immediately,
you must execute the Save command. (This moves edit field information into RAM and
then into the file on the hard drive.) At the end of each step, the program
automatically performs a save. Consequently, if you do not click Save in the File
menu, the change will take effect at the beginning of the next step.
*CAUTION: After entering (or changing) a value on the Read Table, on a

Consolidation Table or on the Shear Table, it is necessary to move the
cursor to another cell of the table. If this is not done, the entry will not be
moved to RAM when a Save is executed.
You may terminate a consolidation or shear step at any point. If, for example, you
have been watching the Test T100 graph while monitoring the test and determined
that primary consolidation is complete for a particular consolidation step, you may
want to move on to the next step. Bring down the Run menu and choose Next Step.
You will be asked to confirm your desire to end the current step. A Yes answer will
end the step and proceed automatically to the next step. A No answer will continue
the current step. (Using Next Step to terminate the last shear step will end the test.)
You may terminate a phase of the test at any point and continue to the next
phase. Bring down the Run menu and choose Next Phase. (Selecting Next Phase while
the shear phase is running will end the test.) You will be asked to confirm your desire
to end the current phase. A Yes answer will end the phase (skipping any steps that
may be left in the phase being ended) and proceed automatically to the next. A No
answer will continue the current phase.
*CAUTION: Use Next Phase only if you have determined that any steps left
in a phase are not needed (remember that all remaining steps will be
skipped). To avoid inadvertently skipping steps, we recommend that you
use Next Step instead of Next Phase (sequentially going quickly through any
steps that remain) when you want to move to the next phase.
You may abort a test at any point. During a test, data are stored in the test file on
the hard drive as the test proceeds. Executing the Abort command does not remove
these data. Consequently, if you abort a test, all data collected up to when the Abort
command is executed will remain in the file. To abort a test, bring down the Run
menu and choose Abort.
Abort will completely stop the test.
*Note: When you request this option, you will not be asked to verify that
you wish to abort the test. Be careful not to click it during a test.
In the event that a power loss or some other problem interrupts the test, you can
restart it using the Restart option in the Run menu. This option assumes that the
motor, the flow pumps and the state of the test are in the same condition as when the
test stopped. After selecting Restart, you will be asked for the file name of the test.
Choose the filename you assigned at the start of the test that is to be restarted. The
test will be restarted and the new data will be appended to the existing data file. You
may have to manually terminate the first increment after a restart because the time-
compression data will have been affected.
6.5. Ending a Test
A test can be ended in one of three ways.
1. You can wait until the test comes to the end of the shear phase. The program
will then end the test automatically.
2. While the program is running the shear phase, you can bring down the Run
menu and click Next Phase.
3. At any time during the test you can bring down the Run menu and click Abort.
*WARNING: Do NOT execute the Save or Save As command at the

completion of a test (unless Load is executed first) or the test data will be
lost. As the test is running, data are stored directly in the file on the hard
drive and not in the computer memory. The Save or Save As command
overwrites everything in the hard drive file with what is in computer

memory. If data on the hard drive have not been brought into memory,
those data will be overwritten and lost.
When the test has ended (either by coming to the end of the last step or because
you have chosen to end it), a window indicating that the test is finished will appear on
the screen. When you click OK on this window, the window will close but the load on
the sample will be maintained until you are ready to dismantle it.
Bring down the file menu and click Load, than use either the Save or Save as
option to save the file.
6.6. Dismantling a Specimen Following a Completed Test
You should dismantle a specimen as soon as possible after you have released all
stresses on it so that you can get an accurate water content determination for the
specimen at the end of the test. The following describes the procedure for
maintaining the stresses on the specimen while the triaxial cell is being removed from
the LoadTrac-II unit and taken to where the specimen will be dismantled. It assumes
that your triaxial cell has a piston lock.
Before you lower the platen, lock the piston. After you are certain the piston is
locked, close the sample-pressure valve and the cell-pressure valve that are on the
test cell base. Remove the sample-pressure tubing and the cell-pressure tubing from
the quick-connect couplings. Open each FlowTrac-II supply valve utilizing the unit’s
LCD and keypad. (With the Position menu showing on the LCD, press 5 to select the
Control Valves option and then press 3.) This releases the pressure in the flow pump
cylinders. Open the output valve and close the supply valve on each FlowTrac-II unit.
You are now ready to lower the platen.
*Note: We recommend that you leave the output valve open and the supply
valve closed until you set up the next test. This is because the valves in
these conditions are not activated (i.e., power is not applied). Leaving one
or both in an activated condition will result in a slight increase in water
temperature. In particular, if both valves are closed, the output valve is
activated and will be generating heat there will be a slight increase in
pressure in the flow pump because of the increase in temperature.
*WARNING: For an extension test, loosen the set screw on the load cell
coupler adapter before lowering the platen.
Lower the platen utilizing the LoadTrac-II LCD Position menu and the keypad.
(With the position menu displayed, press 2 to select the Lower option and then press
Ent.) Remove the triaxial cell from the load frame. Place the cell in a sink and insert
a nipple into the quick-connect coupling on the cell top to release the pressure.
Loosen the knobs at the top of the posts and remove the posts. Loosen the piston
lock. Remove the piston from the cell. (For an extension test, unscrew the piston
from the sample cap before attempting to remove it.) Lift the top from the plastic
chamber and remove the chamber from the base. Remove the two sections of 1/8”
tubing from the specimen cap.
Pull the specimen off of the base pedestal and carry it to a work area. Remove
the O-rings at the top and bottom of the specimen, unfolding the membranes as
needed to expose the O-rings under the fold. Remove the membranes and porous
stones from the specimen.
Measure the diameter of specimen near the top, at the middle and near the
bottom, determine the average and record the values. Make three measurements of
the specimen’s height, each about a third of the way around the specimen from the
other, determine the average and record the result.
Weigh the specimen to the nearest 0.01 gram and record the value.
To get information that will be used by the TRIAXIAL program for determining the
after-test water content of the specimen, you will need a container (e.g., a large
evaporating dish) for drying the specimen (or trimmings from it). Put some identifying
number (or label) on it and weigh it to the nearest 0.01 gram.
In preparation for drying, cut the specimen in half along its vertical axis and note
any variations in material composition. Put the two halves of the specimen in the
container. (If the specimen has dimensions greater than a 2 in (51 mm) diameter and
a 4 in (102 mm) height, trim representative portions from its sides and put the
trimmings in the container.)
Weigh the combination of specimen (or trimmings) and container to the nearest
0.01 gram and record the result.
Dry all pieces of the test equipment and store them in a safe place until needed
again.
Dry the specimen (or trimmings) in an oven and again weigh the combination of
container and trimmings. Record the resulting value.
6.7. Completing Data Entry on the Properties Sheet
Click the Water Content tab on the Properties Sheet to display the Water Content
page. Type the combined weight of container and trimmings that you recorded after
drying the trimmings obtained during the specimen preparation, into the Trimmings
Dry Weight text field in the Before Test section.
The following information (that you recorded while dismantling the specimen)
needs to be put in the After Test section of the page.
Leave the Specimen Tare ID text field blank and type the value of 0 into the
Specimen Tare Weight text field. (If you weighed the specimen in a container, type
the container ID and weight into these boxes respectively.)
Type the weight of the specimen into the Specimen Wet Weight text field. (If you
weighed the specimen in a container, type the combined weight of the container and
specimen into this text field.)
Type the number (or label) of the container used to dry the specimen (or
trimmings) into the Trimmings Tare ID text field.
Type the weight of the container into the Trimmings Tare Weight text field.
Type the combined weight of the container and specimen (or trimmings) that was
recorded before the sample was dried into the Trimmings Wet Weight text field.
Type the combined weight of the container and specimen (or trimmings) that was
recorded after the sample was dried into the Trimmings Dry Weight text field.
We recommend that you look through all the Property Pages to be sure the correct
information has been entered before saving the test file for the last time.
Bring down the File menu and click Save so that all changes that have been made
to the Property Pages since the test was started will be saved.
6.8. Step-by-Step Guide for Triaxial Compression Test
The following set of steps is a quick guide for running a triaxial compression test
using the TRIAXIAL control software and the FlowTrac-II/LoadTrac-II hardware. See
Sections 6.1 through 6.6 for more details.
1. Prepare a specimen being sure you have made accurate measurements of the
specimen’s diameter, height and weight and recorded the values. Be sure you
have kept a representative sample of the trimmings from the specimen for a
moisture content determination and that you have weighed the trimmings and
recorded the value. Be sure there are no air bubbles at the top of the chamber
and that you have removed all air bubbles from the sample system. (See Section
6.1 for details).
2. Initialize the platen utilizing the Initialize option on the LoadTrac-II Position
menu so that the platen moves to its lowest position, activates the lower limit
switch, and then moves up about 3 mm (.12 in).
3. Check to be sure that the triaxial cell piston is locked. Put the cell on the
platen (you may need to raise the cross bar so that the cell will fit under it) and
center it.
4. Raise the platen until there is a gap of about 6 mm (0.25 in) between the
piston and the load cell button.
5. Open the TRIAXIAL control program (if not already open) and load the file you
will be using as the template file for the test. Enter the information relevant to
the test on the Project page.
6. Click the Specimen tab on the Properties Sheet to display the Specimen page.
Enter the diameter, length and weight you measured for the specimen during its
preparation.
7. Click the Water Content tab to display the Water Content page. In the Before
Test section, enter the Trimmings Tare ID, the Trimmings Tare Weight and the
Trimmings Wet Weight that were recorded during the specimen preparation.
8. Click the Test Parameters tab to display the Test Parameters page. Select the
Area Correction type, the Start Phase and where to show the specimen strength.
Enter Correction Factors (if any). Choose the Test Type and the Test Standard.
9. Click the Initialization tab to display the Initialization page and enter the
stresses and pressure you want to have applied to the specimen at the start of the
test. Enter the rate at which the stress are to change and how long the
initialization phase is to last (i.e., the duration of the phase). Choose the
parameter the Read Table will use for recording data.
10. If you want to consolidate the specimen prior to saturating it, click the
Consolidation/A Table tab to display the Consolidation/A Table page. Enter the
values you want the program to use for this phase. Select the Duration Type
(displacement or volume) and the parameter you want the Read Table to use for
recording data.
11. Click the Saturation tab to display the Saturation page. Enter values to
control the saturation phase of the test.
12. Click the Consolidation/B Table tab to display the Consolidation/B Table page.
Specify whether or not this phase will be a K0 consolidation. Enter values you want
the program to use for this phase. Select the Duration Type (displacement or
volume) and the parameter you want the Read Table to use for recording data.
13. Click the Shear Table tab to display the Shear Table page. Enter values you
want the program to use for this phase. Select the drainage control for each shear
step using the pull down menu in the Shear Step Type column. Select the control
(strain or stress) for each step and what parameter you want the Read Table to use
for recording data.
14. Click the Read Table tab to display the Read Table page. In the appropriate
column (or columns), enter the parameter values you want the program to use to
record data as the test progresses.
15. From the Calibrate menu, select Summary to display the Calibration Summary
window. Check that the correct calibration factors and offsets are in the text
fields.
16. From the View menu, select System to display the System Monitor window.
17. You are now ready to begin the test. On the Run menu, click Start.
18. Follow the sequence of window prompts to save the test file, initialize the
flow pumps and position the platen. Be sure the piston is unlocked.
19. Once the test has begun, click View to bring down the View menu. Select any
(or several) of the options to see a display of the current status of the test.
20. If, while monitoring the test, you find that information on one or more of the
Property Pages needs to be changed, make the appropriate change and then save
the file using the Save option on the File menu.
21. If you need to manually override a step or a phase, or even stop the test, bring
down the Run menu and select the appropriate option. Answer Yes to the prompt
and the action will be taken.
22. When the test is finished, tighten the piston lock, close the valves on the test
cell base, remove the tubing, open each FlowTrac-II supply valve, open each
FlowTrac-II output valve and lower the platen.
23. Remove the cell from the platen and dismantle the cell and specimen. (See
Section 6.5 for details.)
24. Weigh the specimen and measure its diameter and height (averaging three
measurements for each).
25. Dry the specimen (or trimmings) and weigh the combination of container and
dry specimen.
26. Complete the entry of information on the Water Content page, check all
Property Pages to be sure all entries are accurate and complete, and save the test
file.
27. Dry all pieces of the test equipment and store them in a safe place until
needed again.
6.9. Step-by-Step Guide for Triaxial Extension Test
The following set of steps is a quick guide for running a triaxial extension test using
the TRIAXIAL control software and the FlowTrac-II/LoadTrac-II hardware. See Sections
6.1 through 6.6 for more details.
1. Prepare a specimen being sure you have made accurate measurements of the
specimen’s diameter, height and weight and recorded the values. Be sure you
have kept a representative sample of the trimmings from the specimen for a
moisture content determination and that you have weighed the trimmings and
recorded the value. Be sure there are no air bubbles at the top of the chamber
and that you have removed all air bubbles from the sample system. (See Section
6.1 for details).
2. Open the TRIAXIAL control program (if not already open) and load the file you
will be using as the basis for the test. Enter the information relevant to the test
on the Project page.
3. Initialize the platen using the Initialize option on the LoadTrac-II Position menu
so that the platen moves to its lowest position, activates the lower limit switch,
and then moves up about 3 mm (.12 in).
4. Check to be sure that the triaxial cell piston is locked. Put the cell on the
platen (you may need to raise the cross bar so that the cell will fit under it) and
fasten it in place.
5. Attach the extension-test coupler adapter to the load cell and loosen the two
clamping screws by about ¼".
6. Slowly raise the platen until the piston slides about ¾" into the coupler. Before
tightening the clamping screws, open the System Monitor window and the
Calibration Summary window. Be sure that the Load reading (in counts) on the
system Monitor window is the same as the offset value on the Calibration Summary
Window. If they are different, adjust the offset value so that it is the same as the
Load reading.
7. Make sure the piston is locked, open the Load Control window, specify a zero
load (in engineering units) and click Go. You can now tighten the clamp without
generating a ± load on the piston. Click Stop after the piston has been clamped in
place.
8. Click the Specimen tab on the Properties Sheet to display the Specimen page.
Enter the diameter, length and weight you recorded for the specimen during its
preparation.
9. Click the Water Content tab to display the Water Content page. In the Before
Test section, enter the Trimmings Tare ID, the Trimmings Tare Weight and the
Trimmings Wet Weight that were recorded during the specimen preparation.
10. Click the Test Parameters tab to display the Test Parameters page. Select the
Area Correction type, the Start Phase and where to show the specimen strength.
Enter Correction Factors (if any). Choose the Test Type and the Test Standard.
11. Click the Initialization tab to display the Initialization page and enter the
stresses and pressure you want to have applied to the specimen at the start of the
test. Enter the rate at which the stresses are to change and how long the
initialization phase is to last (i.e., the duration of the phase). Choose the
parameter the Read Table will use for recording data.
12. If you want to consolidate the specimen prior to saturating it, click the
Consolidation/A Table tab to display the Consolidation/A Table page. Enter values
you want the program to use for this phase. Select the Duration Type
(displacement or volume) and the parameter you want the Read Table to use for
recording data.
13. Click the Saturation tab to display the Saturation page. Enter values to control
the saturation phase of the test.
14. Click the Consolidation/B Table tab to display the Consolidation/B Table page.
Specify whether or not this phase will be a K0 consolidation. Enter values you want
the program to use for this phase. Select the Duration Type (displacement or
volume) and the parameter you want the Read Table to use for recording data.
15. Click the Shear Table tab to display the Shear Table page. Enter values you
want the program to use for this phase. Select the drainage control for each shear
step using the pull down menu in the Shear Step Type column. Select the control
(strain or stress) for each step and what parameter you want the Read Table to use
for recording data.
16. Click the Read Table tab to display the Read Table page. In the appropriate
column (or columns), enter the parameter values you want the program to use to
record data as the test progresses.
17. From the Calibrate menu, select Summary to display the Calibration Summary
window. Check that the correct calibration factors and offsets are in the text
fields.
18. From the View menu, select System to display the System Monitor window.
19. You are now ready to begin the test. On the Run menu, click Start.
20. Follow the sequence of window prompts to save the test file, initialize the flow
pumps and position the platen. Be sure the piston is unlocked.
21. Once the test has begun, click View to bring down the View menu. Select any
(or several) of the options to see a display of the current status of the test.
22. If, while monitoring the test, you find that information on one or more of the
Property Pages needs to be changed, make the appropriate change and then save
the file using the Save option on the File menu.
23. If you need to manually override a step or a phase, or even stop the test, bring
down the Run menu and select the appropriate option. Answer Yes to the prompt
and the action will be taken.
24. When the test is finished, you will be prompted with an on-screen message
stating that the test is finished. Wait until you are ready to dismantle the
specimen before lowering the platen.
25. Immediately remove the cell from the LoadTrac-II platen and dismantle it.
(See Section 6.5 for details.)
26. Weigh the specimen and measure its diameter and height (averaging three
measurements for each).
27. Dry the specimen (or trimmings) and weigh the combination of container and
dry specimen.
28. Complete the entry of information on the Water Content page, check all
Property Pages to be sure all entries are accurate and complete, and save the test
file.
29. Dry all pieces of the test equipment and store them in a safe place until
needed again.
APPENDIX A: CALIBRATION
A.1. Basic Principles
In order to calibrate the transducers used in a LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system, you

will need an independent means for accurately determining the actual condition the
transducer is experiencing. During the calibration process for which the Calibrate X
window is used (X stands for Load, Displacement or Pressure), you will need to enter
(in engineering units) the actual condition being sensed by the transducer and then
click the Read button to record (in counts) the transducer output. After you have
done this for a range of values, clicking the Calibrate button will result in the TRIAXIAL
program calculating a calibration factor and offset value (the sensor output at zero
condition). The results of the calibration can be saved by clicking the Save button and
then viewed on the Calibration Summary window opened by clicking Summary in the
Calibrate menu.
The Calibration Summary window displays the calibration factors and offsets that
the program uses to convert the transducer readings from counts to engineering units.
The TRIAXIAL control software performs the conversion by first subtracting the offset
(in counts) from the transducer reading (in counts) and then multiplying the result by
the calibration factor as shown in the equation,
Where:
RE is the sensor reading in engineering units,
F is the calibration factor,
RC is the sensor reading in counts and
OC is the offset value in counts.
The calibration factor will depend on the unit system you are using. The factor
will be automatically adjusted if a new system of units is selected. The current units
are shown on the System Monitor window (opened from the View menu).
*CAUTION: When you have finished the calibration of the system sensors, it
is important to open the Calibration Summary window and click the
Download button to transfer the calibration parameters to the embedded
controller of the LoadTrac-II unit. (Alternatively, you can transfer the
calibration information using the LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II keypad after
the calibration has been performed. See your LoadTrac-II hardware
manual and FlowTrac-II hardware manual for how to do this.) Failure to do
so will result in the incorrect factor being used if LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-
II are operated manually, and in incorrect values being displayed on the
LCD screens when System is chosen from the Monitor menu.
*Note: You can manually change values in the Calibrate X windows and on
the Calibration Summary window. However, this should be done only if
you are certain a value is in error and you know what the correct value
should be.
*WARNING: Use great care in altering the calibration factors and offsets for
the force transducer. Incorrect values can cause the system to apply the
wrong forces and equipment damage is possible.
A.2. Force Transducer
The force transducer(s) are initially calibrated prior to shipment. Recalibration

should be done every year. It is recommended that recalibration be performed using a
certified calibration grade load cell.
The TRIAXIAL software makes the calibration of the force transducer very easy. To
perform the calibration, you will need an independent way of measuring force that is
applied to the load cell. An independently calibrated load cell or a proving ring that
you can place between the platen and the load cell extension rod will work well.
Choose one with a similar capacity to your LoadTrac-II unit. The calibration can be
performed in any system of units. If the units are changed later, the calibration will
automatically be converted to the new units. For example, if you have only a proving
ring calibrated in pounds, you will need to choose pounds in the Units window
(accessed from the Options menu) before performing the calibration. Then, if your
test is to be run in force units of Newtons, you need to change the units before
running the test. The description which follows is for a calibration in Newtons. Modify
these instructions as required for a different force unit.
Using the keypad, move the platen all the way to its bottom position (see Section 2
of the LoadTrac-II Hardware manual). Place the independently calibrated load cell or
proving ring onto the platen and center it under the extension rod of the load cell.
Adjust the crosshead as necessary to allow the load cell to apply force to the
calibration load cell. Try to find a load cell or proving ring that will fit without having
to move the crosshead. If you must move the cross head, be sure to mark its original
position so that it can be returned to the factory pre-set position.
The calibration is performed using both the Load Control window and the Calibrate
Load window. Pull down the Control menu and click Load. This will open the Load
Control window, which you can position to one side of your screen by clicking and
holding on the top bar and dragging it. Pull down the Calibrate menu and click the
Load option. This will open the Calibrate Load window, which you can position so
both windows can be seen. These two windows are shown below.
Figure A 1. Force Transducer Calibration Windows
On the Load Control window, enter a load value. The value can be entered either
as a count value (left text field) or as a value in the units you have chosen. For
example, to enter a force of 50 N, enter 50 in the right-hand text field. The
equivalent count value (calculated using the calibration factor from the last
calibration) will appear in the left-hand text field. Click the Go button. The platen
will move up until the reading from the system load cell matches (as per previous
calibration) the force value you have entered. When the platen stops, read the force
produced on your calibrated load cell or proving ring and enter it in the Dial Reading
column of the Calibrate Load window. Click the large Read button on the Calibrate
Load window. A value will appear in the Sensor Reading column. Repeat this
procedure for a series of load values that covers the range of the system load cell.
When you have collected the data needed for the calibration, click the Calibrate
button on the Calibrate Load window. The factor (calibration factor or slope in N/cnt)
and offset (in cnt) of a best-fit line will be displayed in the right-hand text fields of
the Calibrate Load window together with the standard error and correlation
coefficient. If the correlation coefficient is less than 0.9999, you have gotten a bad
reading and need to redo the calibration. We recommend that you view the
calibration data and the best-fit line in graphical form. To do this, click the Graph
button. Check that the data closely fit the line. A poor fit or a data point that is far
off the line indicates that the calibration should be repeated.
If you have a good calibration, write down the calibration factor and offset (but do
not save them yet). Open the Calibration Summary window (accessed through the
Calibration menu) and compare the factor and offset to those shown. If they are more
than 5% different, you have an error somewhere or the equipment has changed
significantly since the last calibration. (This comparison, of course, assumes that you
are performing a routine calibration on a load cell that has been calibrated
previously.)
To save the calibration results so that they will be displayed on the Calibration
Summary window, click the Save button on the Calibrate Load window.
*Note: If you close the Calibrate Load window (by clicking the Close button
or the X in the upper right corner of the window), the calibration results
will not be saved, but neither will they be removed from the window. If
you do not save the results before you close the window, you can later
reopen the window and save the results. Saving the calibration results will
replace the values shown on the Calibration Summary window.
Be sure to click the Apply button and the Download button on the Calibration
Summary window after each sensor has been calibrated and the results saved.
A.3. Displacement Transducer
The TRIAXIAL software makes the calibration of the displacement transducer very
easy. To perform the calibration, you will need an independent way of measuring
displacement. An independently calibrated set of gauge blocks that reach the full
stroke capacity of the displacement transducer will work well. The calibration can be
performed in any system of units. If the units are changed later, the calibration will
automatically be converted to the new units. For example, if you only have gauge
blocks that are in inches, you will need to choose inches in the Units window (accessed
from the Options menu) before performing the calibration. Then, if your test is to be
run in length units of millimeters, you need to change the units before running the
test.
The calibration is performed using both the System Monitor window and the
Calibrate Displacement window. Pull down the View menu and click the System
option. This will open the System Monitor window that you can position to one side of
your screen by clicking and holding on the top bar and dragging it. Pull down the
Calibrate menu and click the Displacement option. This will open the Calibrate
Displacement window. Position it so that both windows can be seen. These two
windows are shown below.
Figure A 2. Displacement Transducer Calibration Windows
From the System Monitor, you will see a count reading for displacement on the
System Monitor window in the left box of the row labeled Displacement. Use the
keypad on the front panel of the LoadTrac-II to move the platen (see Section 2.1 of
the LoadTrac-II Hardware manual) until the displayed count number for displacement
is approximately 50000. Be sure the moveable rod of the LVDT stays pressed against
the platen while making this adjustment. Place the cursor in the first cell of the Dial
Reading column and enter 0 (if 0 is not already showing there). Now click the large
Read button. A value will appear in the Sensor Reading column.
The remaining rows in the column headed Dial Reading in the Calibrate
Displacement window is for the thickness values established by the gauge block stack.
For example, in the second row of the column headed Dial Reading will be the
thickness of the first gauge block. Locate the stem of the displacement transducer
that presses against the underside of the load platen. Gently push the stem down and
place the first gauge block between the displacement transducer stem and the platen.
Release the stem so that it holds the gauge blocks against the underside of the platen.
Repeat this procedure for all the gauge blocks in the set.
When you have finished, click the Calibrate button on the Calibrate Displacement
window. The factor (calibration factor or slope in mm/cnt) and offset (in cnt) of a
best-fit line will be displayed in the right-hand text fields of the Calibrate
Displacement window together with the standard error and correlation coefficient. If
the correlation coefficient is less than 0.9999, you have gotten a bad reading and need
to redo the calibration. We recommend that you view the calibration data and the
best-fit line in graphical form. To do this, click the Graph button. Check that the
data closely fit the line. A poor fit or a data point that is far off the line indicates
that the calibration should be repeated.
Calibration menu) and compare the factor and offset to those shown. (Be sure to use
the pull-down button at the right of the top text field on the window and choose
Displacement from the list.) If they are more than 5% different, you have an error
somewhere or the equipment has changed significantly since the last calibration. To
save the calibration results so that they will be displayed on the Calibration Summary
window, click the Save button on the Calibrate Displacement window.
*Note: If you close the Calibrate Displacement window (by clicking the
Close button or the X in the upper right corner of the window), the
calibration results will not be saved, but neither will they be removed from
the window. If you do not save the results before you close the window,
you can later reopen the window and save the results. Saving the
calibration results will replace the values shown on the Calibration
Summary window.
A.4. Pressure Transducers
The TRIAXIAL software makes the calibration of the cell and sample pressure
transducers very easy. To perform the calibration, you will need an independent way
of measuring pressure. An independently calibrated pressure transducer or a pressure
gage can be used. Choose one with a similar pressure capacity as your FlowTrac-II
unit. The calibration can be performed in any system of units. If the units are
changed later, the calibration will automatically be converted to the new units. For
example, if you only have a pressure gauge calibrated in psi, you will need to click the
English button (and then click OK) on the Units window (accessed from the Options
menu) before performing the calibration. Then, if your test is to be run in pressure
units of kPa, you need to change the units back to metric after the calibration and
before running the next test.
*Note: To obtain a good calibration it is essential that all air be bleed from the
pump and lines of the FlowTrac-II before calibrating.
Cell-Pressure Transducer
Use tubing to connect your independently calibrated pressure measuring device to

the OUTPUT connector on the front of the FlowTrac-II unit that will be used to control
cell pressure.
The calibration of the cell-pressure transducer is performed using both the Cell
Pressure Control window and the Calibrate Cell Pressure window. Pull down the
Control menu and click Cell Pressure. This will open the Cell Pressure Control window
that you can position to one side of your screen by clicking and holding on the top bar
and dragging it. Pull down the Calibrate menu and click the Cell Pressure option. This
will open the Calibrate Cell Pressure window, which you can position so both windows
can be seen. These two windows are shown below.
Figure A 3. Cell Pressure Transducer Calibration Windows
On the Cell Pressure Control window, enter a Pressure value. The value can be
entered either as a count value or as a value in the units you have chosen. For
example, to enter a pressure of 100 kPa, enter 100 in the right-hand text field. The
equivalent count value (calculated using the calibration factor from the last
calibration) will appear in the left-hand text field. Click the Go button. The flow
pump will increase the pressure in the output line until the reading of the flow pump
pressure transducer matches (as per the previous calibration) the pressure value you
have entered. When the pressure stops increasing and has stabilized, read the
pressure produced on your calibrated pressure-measuring device and enter it in the
Dial Reading column of the Calibrate Cell Pressure window. Click the large Read
button on the Calibrate Cell Pressure window. A value will appear in the Sensor
Reading column. Repeat this procedure for a series of pressure values that covers the
range of the flow pump pressure transducer.
When you have collected the data needed for the calibration, click the Calibrate
button on the Calibrate Cell Pressure window. The factor (calibration factor or slope
in kPa/cnt) and offset (in cnt) of a best-fit line will be displayed in the right-hand text
fields of the Calibrate Cell Pressure window together with the standard error and
correlation coefficient. If the correlation coefficient is less than 0.9999, you have
gotten a bad reading and need to redo the calibration. We recommend that you view
the calibration data and the best-fit line in graphical form. To do this, click the Graph
button. Check that the data closely fits the line. A poor fit or a bad data point
indicates that the calibration should be repeated.
*Note: Individual data points can be repeated to produce a better

calibration. It is however necessary to take readings in the same direction
as they were originally taken. This requires reducing the pressure and
then raising the pressure to reach the value from the same direction as
originally approached.
Calibration menu) and compare the factor and offset to those shown. (Be sure to use
the pull-down button at the right of the top text field on the window and choose Cell
Pressure from the list.) If they are more than 5% different, you have an error
somewhere or the equipment has changed significantly since the last calibration.
*Note: If you close the Calibrate Cell Pressure window (by clicking the Close
button or the X in the upper right corner of the window), the calibration
results will not be saved, but neither will they be removed from the
window. If you do not save the results before you close the window, you
can later reopen the window and save the results. Saving the calibration
results will replace the values shown on the Calibration Summary window.
Sample-Pressure Transducer
The procedure for calibrating the sample-pressure transducer is the same as for
the cell pressure transducer except that the FlowTrac-II unit for controlling sample
pressure, the Sample Pressure Control window and the Calibrate Sample Pressure
window (shown below) are used. Follow the instructions for calibrating the cell
pressure transducer substituting these windows and the word sample for the word cell.
Figure A 4. Sample-Pressure Transducer Calibration Windows
APPENDIX B: IMPORTING DATA INTO A SPREADSHEET

The TRIAXIAL software program gives you access to three test-result formats. The
test results in any of these formats can be imported into a spreadsheet. This is a
useful feature that allows you to do your own data reduction, plotting and report
preparation using a common spreadsheet program such as Excel.
The three formats that can be used are:
1. Raw data, in units of counts (always whole-number values), in a file created

with a dump.
2. Raw data, in the engineering units you have chosen, in a file created with a
dump.
3. Data reduction results, in units you have specified, shown in report tables.
Regardless of the format, the easiest way to import the information is by copying
and pasting. The following step-by-step instructions are for the 2007 version of Excel.
If you have a different version or spreadsheet, you may need to modify these
instructions.
The steps for importing raw data are given first. The steps for importing the data
reduction results follow those for the raw data.
Raw Data (Counts or Engineering Units) Using the Dump Option
1. If the TRIAXIAL program does not already contain the test file you want to use,
pull down the File menu and select Load to load the desired test file.
2. On the TRIAXIAL file menu, highlight Dump to display the two options of Device
and Engineering (see figure below).
Figure B 1. Dump Options
3. Click Device to create a raw data file in counts; click Engineering to create a
raw-data file in engineering units. When you select an option, a Save As
window will open so you can choose where to save the file. The default file
name will be the name of the file loaded into TRIAXIAL but with the extension
.dmp.
*Note: If you want to have two .dmp files, one with counts and one with
engineering units, add some distinguishing word (such as cnts and eng)
to each file name to distinguish them. The TRIAXIAL program will not
do this automatically.
4. After choosing a folder and file name (or leaving the default selection), click
the Save button. The file will be created with the information in ASCII code.
5. Open Excel and click the Data tab. In the Get External Data group (far left)
click From Text. An Import Text File window will open (see figure below). At
the bottom right dropdown menu of the Import Text File window, select All
Files.
Figure B 2. Import Text File Window
6. Select the data set you want to import and click Import. The Text Import
Wizard will open (see figure below).
Figure B 3. Convert Wizard, Step 1
7. Leave the Original Data Type as Fixed width. Click Next. Step 2 of the Text
Import Wizard window will be shown. This window allows you to set the field
widths (i.e., the column breaks). If adjustments are needed, you can drag a
line to a new position or remove a line by double clicking on it. (Alternatively,
you can click and hold on it to drag it off the Data Preview area.) For the
TRIAXIAL data, no changes are needed. See figure below for the Step 2
window.
8. Click next and then click Finish. An Import Data window will be shown (see
figure below.
Figure B 5. Import Data Window
9. Choose whether to import the data to the existing worksheet or onto a

different one, then click OK. Your data will be put onto the Excel spreadsheet
(see figure below).
Figure B 6. Excel Spreadsheet
For each phase and step, the columns will be headed Time, Load, Disp (for
Displacement), Cell (for Cell Pressure), Sample (for Sample Pressure), Load Motor
(in units of steps), Cell Motor (in units of steps) and Sample Motor (in units of
steps).
All phases and the steps in each phase can be viewed by scrolling down. The
phase corresponding to each phase number is shown below.
Phase 1: Initialization
Phase 2: Consolidation A
Phase 3: Back-pressure Saturation
Phase 4: Consolidation B
Phase 5: Shear
If a phase for a test is skipped, the phase number (and any step number) for
that phase is not shown. The first step in each phase, and the only step for
Initialization and Saturation, is specified as 0 instead of 1.
The numbers in the three Motor columns (Load, Cell and Sample) are motor
steps and will be the same whether the data are dumped in counts or engineering
units. The motor steps can be converted to vertical travel increments or volume
change increments by using the appropriate Step Multiplier that is shown on the
Hardware Setup window (opened by selecting the Hardware option on the Options
menu).
For the load motor, the default value is 5.33146e-005 mm/step. To calculate a
vertical travel increment, ∆h, in mm from a step increment, ∆steps, use the
equation ∆h = (5.33146e-005)x(∆steps). The default value for the Cell and Sample
Step Multipliers is 5.363e-004 cc/step. To calculate a volume change, ∆V, in cc
from a step increment, ∆steps, use the equation ∆V = (5.363e-005)x(∆steps).
10. After you have made any additional adjustments on the spreadsheet you think
are needed, save the Excel file.
Raw Data (Engineering Units) Using the Export Option
2. On the TRIAXIAL file menu, click Export. A Save As window similar to that
shown in Figure B-7 will open.
Figure B 7. Save As Window
3. Click Save to save the file.
4. Open Excel and click the Open in the Office Button pull-down list. When the
Open window is displayed, use the pull-down button at the right of the Files of
Type: text field (bottom of window) to display a range of file types. Select All
Files (*.*). (It will be at the top of the list.) Browse to the folder containing
the file you saved and open the file. (See figure below).
Figure B 8. Excel Open Window with All Files (*.*) in Bottom Text Field
5. Information related to the test will be put in cells of the first two columns and
then data will be listed under headings of Time, Load, Displacement, Cell
Pressure, Sample Pressure and Sample Volume Change. (See figures below).
Figure B 9. Beginning of Information Listing in Excel
Figure B 10. End of Information Listing and Beginning of Data in Excel
6. Widen the columns so that information and headings do not extend past the
cell they belong in (except for very long items such as the test file path) then
click Save As in the Office Button list. If you choose Excel Workbook on the
option list, a Save As window will open on which you can browse to the
appropriated folder (see figure below).
Figure B 11. Excel Save As Window Set to Excel Workbook File Type
7. After you have made any needed changes on the filename, click Save. The
workbook will be saved with a .xlsx extension.
Data Reduction Results (Engineering Units)
2. Bring down the Report menu, slide the cursor to Table to open the Table
submenu and select Saturation (or the phase you want to view).
3. From the tabular report data, click on View and slide the cursor to Save As (see
figure below).
Figure B 12. View Menu from Tabular Report
4. A Save As window will open on which you can browse to the appropriated
folder to save the file. By default, the data reduction data will be saved with
the same name as the test file but with a *.out extension. Save the file. It is
recommended that you name the file in order to distinguish between different
phases of the data reduction data. You may want to rename it by phase (e.g.,
Triaxial_CU.Saturation.out).
Figure B 13. Save As Window for Data Reduction Results
5. Open Excel and click the Data tab. In the Get External Data group (far left)
click From Text. An Import Text File window will open.
Figure B 14. Import Text File Window
6. Select the data set you want to import and click Import. The Text Import
Wizard will open.
7. Leave the Original Data Type as Fixed width. Click Next. Step 2 of the Text
Import Wizard window will be shown. This window allows you to set the field
widths (i.e., the column breaks). If adjustments are needed, you can drag a
line to a new position or remove a line by double clicking on it. (Alternatively,
you can click and hold on it to drag it off the Data Preview area.)
For the data reduction data, there is the test information listing at the top of
the page and the test data in columns further down the page (e.g., Time,
Strain, Stress, etc.). It is recommended to split the columns according to the
test data in columns and later make adjustments for the test information
listing at the top of the file (see figure below).
8. Your data will be put onto the Excel spreadsheet (see figure below).
Figure B 16. Data Reduction File in Excel (Saturation Phase)
9. After you have made any additional adjustments on the spreadsheet you think
are needed (such as the test information listing at the top of the spreadsheet),
save the Excel file.
APPENDIX C: CHECK LIST FOR RUNNING A TEST
APPENDIX D: LIST OF GEOTECHNICAL SYMBOLS

GEOTECHNICAL SUBINDICES
a air, active or allowable

c cohesion or consolidation
d dry state
f failure or final
h horizontal
i immediate or initial
p passive or preconsolidation
q surcharge
r radial or remolded
R residual
s solids
t time
u undrained condition or pore pressure
v vertical
w water
x,y orthogonal horizontal axes
z vertical axis
γ unit weight of soil or rock
φ angle of internal friction
o at rest or initial conditions
1, 2, 3 principal directions
GEOTECHNICAL SUPERSCRIPTS
σ’ effective stress
CONSISTENCY
wL liquid limit
wP plastic limit
wS shrinkage limit
IP Plasticity Index
IL Liquidity Index
IC Consistency Index
ID Density Index (emax-e)/(emax-emin)
emax void ratio in loosest state
emin void ratio in densest state
GRAIN SIZE
D, d grain diameter
Dn, dn n percent finer diameter
CU uniformity coefficient
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL
ρs density of solid particles

ρw density of water
ρ density of soil
ρd dry density of soil
ρsat density of saturated soil
ρ’ density of submerged soil
γs unit weight of solid particles
γw unit weight of water
γ unit weight of soil
γd unit weight of dry soil
γsat unit weight of saturated soil
γ‘ unit weight of submerged soil
e void ratio
n porosity
w water content
Sr degree of saturation
CONSOLIDATION
mv coefficient of volume change

Eoed oedometric modulus, 1/mv
Cc compression index
CR compression ratio, Cc/(1+e0)
Cs swelling index
RR recompression ratio, Cs/(1+e0)
Cα rate of secondary compression
cv coefficient of consolidation
d, H drainage length
T time factor
U degree of consolidation
σ’p preconsolidation pressure, yield stress
K0 coefficient of earth pressure at rest
OCR overconsolidation ratio, σ’p/σ’vc
HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES
h hydraulic head
q rate of flow
v velocity
i hydraulic gradient
k coefficient of permeability
j seepage force per unit volume
SHEAR STRENGTH
τf shear strength
c’ effective cohesion intercept
φ’ effective angle of internal friction
cu apparent cohesion intercept
φu apparent angle of internal friction
cr remolded undrained shear strength
St sensitivity
SR residual shear strength
c’R apparent cohesion intercept
φ’R apparent angle of internal friction
δ angle of interface friction
a wall adhesion
STRESS AND STRAIN
p average of major and minor principal stress, (σ1 + σ3) / 2

q half of difference between major and minor principal stress, (σ1 - σ3)/2
u pore pressure
uw pore water pressure
ua pore air pressure
σ total normal stress
σ’ effective normal stress
τ shear stress
σ1 major principal stress
σ2 intermediate principal stress
σ3 minor principal stress
σoct average stress or octahedral normal stress, (σ1 + σ2 + σ3 ) / 3
τoct octahedral shear stress,
ε linear strain
γ shear strain
ε1 major principal strain
ε2 intermediate principal strain
ε3 minor principal strain
linear strain rate
shear strain rate
ν Poisson’s ratio
E modulus of linear deformation
G modulus of shear deformation
K modulus of bulk compressibility
µ coefficient of friction
η coefficient of viscosity
APPENDIX E: EQUATIONS FOR DATA REDUCTION

PHASE RELATIONSHIP CALCULATIONS
This section provides details of the calculations for initial and final densities, void
ratio, and saturation of the triaxial test. The calculations are performed when the file
is initially read, saved, and when the reporting option is selected.
The following input data regarding phase relations are entered into TRIAXIAL:
Specimen Project Tab:
Height of sample prior to placement in the triaxial cell

Diameter of sample prior to placement in the triaxial cell
Mt Wet weight of the specimen (“Initial Sample Weight”)
Gs Specific Gravity of the solids
Water Content Project Tab:
wttare_trim,before test Trimmings Tare Weight Before Test

wttrim,wet,before test Trimmings Wet Weight Before Test
wttrim,dry,before test Trimmings Dry Weight Before Test
wttare,after test Specimen Tare Weight After Test
wtwet,after test Specimen Wet Weight After Test
wttare, trim,after test Trimmings Tare Weight After Test
wttrim,wet,after test Trimmings Wet Weight After Test
wttrim,dry,after test Trimmings Dry Weight After Test
The following description indicates the calculations performed by TRIAXIAL internal

reporting when reducing data for triaxial tests. TRIAXIAL performs calculations for the
following parameters:
• Md Dry mass of specimen

• w Moisture content
• e Void ratio
• S Saturation
• γd Dry unit weight
1. Initial and Final Water Content
TRIAXIAL computes the water content before and after the test using information
which the user has reported in the water content tab of the program. TRIAXIAL
assumes the initial water content is provided by the Before Test trimmings data, which
is calculated as:
where
Similarly, the final water content is provided by After Test trimmings data, which is
calculated as:
where
The initial dry mass of the specimen is then determined by:
where Mt,0 = reported total wet weight of the specimen entered in by the user on the
Specimen tab of TRIAXIAL.
The final dry mass of the specimen is determined by:
where Mt,f = reported total wet weight of the specimen entered in by the user on the
Water Content tab of TRIAXIAL.
2. Initial and Final Dry Density
Dry density is calculated from the dry mass as follows:
Where:
γw = unit weight of water at 20°C = 9.80665 kN/m3 (62.3801 lb/ft3),
And according to ASTM, the final volume of the specimen may be calculated using two
different methods: Method A and Method B.
Method A
Where ∆Vsat, ∆Vconsol,B, and ∆Vshear are the volume changes during the Saturation,
Consolidation/B, and Shear phases respectively. Refer to End of Phase Computations.
*Note: For an Undrained Test, ∆Vshear = 0
Method B
3. Initial and Final Void Ratio
The initial and final void ratio is calculated from the dry density as follows:
Where
γw = 0.001 g/mm3 (62.3801 lb/ft3)
4. Saturation Ratio
The initial saturation is determined from the initial water content and void ratio as
follows:
The specimen at the end of the test is assumed to be fully saturated. Therefore,
Sf = 100.0%
*Note: If the water contents are not representative or the Specific Gravity of
the solids is not correct, then saturation values greater than 100% may be
calculated.
END OF PHASE CALCULATIONS
At the end of each phase of the test, TRIAXIAL performs calculations for the
following parameters:
• σv Total Vertical Stress

• σh Total Horizontal Stress
• u Pore Pressure
• σ'v Effective Vertical Stress
• σ'h Effective Horizontal Stress
• ΔH Height Change
• ΔA Area Change
• ΔV Volume Change
+Ve volume of sample decreasing (compaction/consolidation)
-Ve volume of sample increasing (swell)
• Δw Water Change
• δw Correction
• H Height
• A Area
• V Volume
• S Saturation
• w Moisture
• e Void Ratio
• γd Dry Unit Weight
Note that the raw data generated by TRIAXIAL (.dmp file) gives device values that
are used for calculations in each phase of the triaxial test. These raw values (in
counts) are labeled as:
• Load
• Disp
• Cell
• Sample
• Sample Motor
Notations for the following input parameters obtained through TRIAXIAL are as
follows:
• LoadCalFactor Load Cell Calibration Factor

• LoadOffset Load Cell Offset
• LVDTCalFactor LVDT Calibration Factor
• LVDTOffset LVDT Offset

• Sample/Cell CalFactor Sample/Cell Pressure Calibration Factor
• Sample Offset Sample Pressure Offset
• Sample StepMult Sample Step Multiplier
• Sample MotorOffset Sample Motor Offset
• Apiston Piston Area
• Wpiston Piston Weight
• PF Piston Friction
• ACOR Area Correction Method
• MEMC Membrane correction factor
• FSC Filter Strip correction factor
This section provides details of the calculations performed by TRIAXIAL at the end
of each phase of the test. In the following notes, parameters labeled as “Phase” refer
to the state of the sample at the end of that particular phase (e.g., initialization,
saturation, consolidation, etc.), unless explicitly stated.
1. Height
The change in height of the specimen at the end of each phase is determined from
the raw data .dmp file generated by TRIAXIAL as follows:
The height of the specimen at the end of each phase is then calculated as:
2. Area and Volume
The area of the specimen is constant during Initialization, Consolidation/A, and

Saturation phases of the test and is equal to the initial area of the specimen. The
volume change of the specimen at the end of Initialization, Consolidation/A and
Saturation is determined by:
The volume of the specimen at the end of the phase is then calculated as
According to ASTM, there are two methods for computing the area at the specimen
at the end of Consolidation/B, Method A and Method B.
Method A
If Method A is selected in TRIAXIAL, the volume of the specimen at the end of

consolidation is computed as:
where
∆Vsat is the change in volume of the specimen during the saturation phase and is
determined by the change in height of the specimen during the saturation phase by:
and
∆Vconsol,B is the measured change in volume of the specimen during the consolidation
phase as determined from the raw sample motor step data.
Method B
If Method B is selected in TRIAXIAL, the volume of the specimen after consolidation

B assumes that the water content after consolidation B is equal to the final water
content. The volume is computed as follows:
The area of the specimen is then computed based on the calculated volume of the
specimen (depending on method A and method B) by:
The volume of the specimen at the end of Shear is based on the volume of the
specimen at the end of consolidation and the volume change of the specimen during
the shear phase:
The area of the specimen at the end of the shear phase is based on the axial
strain, εa,shear, and volumetric strain, εv,shear, of the specimen during the shear phase
computed as:
Where axial strain during shear is determined by:
and volumetric strain during shear is determined by:
If a uniform area correction is selected, K1 = 1 and K2 = 1. If parabolic area correction

is selected, K1 = 1 and K2 = 5/3.
3. Dry Density and Void Ratio
The dry density and void ratio at the end of each phase are computed as follows:
4. Water Content and Saturation
Water content and saturation at the end of Initialization, Consolidation/A, and

Saturation is based on the change in volume of water into/out of the specimen
determined from the raw data motor steps by:
The water content and saturation ratio based on the measured water change are
then computed as:
And
The specimen is assumed to be fully saturated during shear. Therefore, the

saturation at the end of Consolidation/B is 100%. The water content at the end of
Consolidation/B is then computed as:
SHEAR PHASE CALCULATIONS
At failure the Mohr circle is as follows:
The calculations of the above parameters are as the following:
APPENDIX F: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
F.1. Hardware
I. BUBBLES IN LINES
I-1. Q: How do I bleed the lines and get rid of air bubbles in the cell?
A: Getting rid of air bubbles is done at three places during the procedure of
preparing a sample and Triaxial cell for a test. First of all, a few small air bubbles in
the cell will not affect a test. It is sufficient to tip the cell away from the valve on
the cell top while filling it through a tube connected from a faucet to the cell valve on
the base until water comes out of the top valve.
Getting rid of bubbles in the sample system is very important. This is a two-step
process. The first step gets rid of the major bubble content. Connect the tube from
the faucet to the bottom drainage valve (second from the left on the base). Run a
tube from the top drainage valve (far right) to the sink. Open both the bottom and
top drainage valves. Slowly turn on the water and let it flow through the sample
system. Watch the water as it comes out of the top drainage valve into the tubing to
the sink. When no more bubbles are coming out, turn off the water, close the valves
and disconnect the tubing.
The second step is designed to get rid of any residual small sized bubbles. Connect
a vacuum pump (that has a water trap in the line) to either the bottom or top
drainage valve. Connect a tube from a source of de-aerated water to the other
drainage valve. With both drainage valves closed, turn on the vacuum pump. Open
the valve to the vacuum pump and wait until the reduced pressure in the system
equalizes (a few minutes). Close the valve to the vacuum pump and open the valve to
the water source. Wait until no more water is flowing into the system. Close the
valve to the water source and again open the valve to the vacuum pump. Continue
the opening and closing of the valves for several cycles of alternate vacuum and water
transfer. Finally, close both drainage valves, then turn off the vacuum pump and
disconnect the vacuum and water source tubing.
Finally, it is necessary to be sure there are no bubbles in the lines from the two
FlowTrac-II units to the test cell. The following steps will lead you through the
procedure for getting rid of any bubbles. Use these steps for both the cell pressure
unit and sample pressure unit.
1. If the main menu (shown below) is not showing on the FlowTrac-II unit, press
the Esc key to display it.
2. Press the 2 key to display the Position menu (shown below).
3. Press 1 on the keypad to select Open and then press Ent. When you see water
beginning to come out of the line, press any key to stop the pump. Visually
inspect the line and continue pushing water out until you get rid of all the air
bubbles.
I-2. Q: Before starting the test I noticed some air bubbles in the drainage-
backpressure tubes. Is there any way to saturate the tubing once the sample is in
the cell and the cell is full of water (in order to save time)?
A: Yes. The most thorough procedure involves two steps.
To get rid of the major bubble content, connect a tube from a faucet to the
bottom drainage valve (second from the left on the base). Run a tube from the top
drainage valve (far right) to the sink. Open both the bottom and top drainage valves.
Slowly turn on the water and let it flow through the sample system. Watch the water
as it comes out of the top drainage valve into the tubing to the sink. When no more
bubbles are coming out, turn off the water, close the valves and disconnect the
tubing.
The second step is designed to get rid of any residual small sized bubbles and will
help to speed up the saturation phase. Connect a vacuum pump (that has a water trap
in the line) to either the bottom or top drainage valve. Connect a tube from a source
of de-aerated water to the other drainage valve. With both drainage valves closed,
turn on the vacuum pump. Open the valve to the vacuum pump and wait until the
reduced pressure in the system equalizes (a few minutes). Close the valve to the
vacuum pump and open the valve to the water source. Wait until no more water is
flowing into the system. Close the valve to the water source and again open the valve
to the vacuum pump. Continue the opening and closing of the valves for several
cycles of alternate vacuum and water transfer. Finally, close both drainage valves,
then turn off the vacuum pump and disconnect the vacuum and water source tubes.
You are now ready to put the test cell on the platen, connect the cell and sample
pressure tubing and start the test.
II. GENERAL
II-1. Q: Can I fill up the triaxial chamber using the FlowTrac-II unit?
A: Although is certainly possible to do so, it is not practical to fill the triaxial cell
chamber using the FlowTrac-II unit. The total volume of water required to fill the
standard (model 3400) triaxial chamber is about 2500 ml, and the total volume
capacity of the pump cylinder in the FlowTrac-II unit is 250 ml. The easiest and most
practical way to fill the triaxial chamber is to do so directly from the water faucet or
syphon water from a bucket into the cell.
*Note: There is no particular requirement for the quality of the chamber water
as long as the water is clean. Water that is drinkable satisfies this requirement.
II-2. Q: Do I need to use de-aerated water to fill the FlowTrac-II units; if so, how do
I obtain de-aerated water?
A: Yes, it is important to use de-aerated water in the FlowTrac-II pumps. This will
minimize the water air content thereby speeding up the back saturation phase. To
prepare de-aerated water, boil water while applying a vacuum or use a device such as
a Nold DeAerator, which combines propeller cavitations with a vacuum to de-aerate
the water rapidly.
II-3. Q: Could the Node ID# for either one of the FlowTrac-II units or the LoadTrac-
II unit change by itself? What possible reasons could you think to have prompted
the change?
A: The imbedded controller default Node IDs for LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II are 65
and 66 respectively. When a second FlowTrac-II unit is supplied with a Triaxial
system, its ID is set at the factory as 67. The node IDs cannot change by themselves.
However, if you reboot the second FlowTrac-II unit (the one used for controlling the
sample pressure) and by mistake press the ESC key on the keypad at the beginning of
the boot process, the control program reverts back to the default value of 66.
Similarly, if for some reason you are using different Node IDs than those specified
above (because you are controlling several systems with one computer), pressing the
ESC key at the beginning of a reboot will change the ID for the unit being rebooted
back to its imbedded controller default value.
If there is a possibility that someone pressed the ESC key at the start of the boot
process for one or more units in your system, go through the following steps to reset
default values for the control programs.
1. Turn off the LoadTrac-II unit and the two FlowTrac-II units.
2. Wait about 10 sec.
3. As you turn each back on, immediately press the ESC key on the keypad to
reset everything back to the imbedded controller default values.
4. Now go to your LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II hardware manuals. In Section 2.1.4

of each manual (Setup section) you will find a table of default settings for your
system. Got through each LCD menu and be sure the settings on the menu
agree with those in the table. If a setting does not agree, change it to the one
in the manual.
5. If the Node ID numbers on your units were changed (because you are
controlling more than one system with your computer), set them to the values
they were changed to. (The factory-setting default values are 65 for LoadTrac-
II, 66 for the FlowTrac-II unit controlling cell pressure and 67 for the FlowTrac-
II unit controlling sample pressure.)
II-4. Q: We noticed that a lot of the clay in our specimen has been washed into the
sample flow pump. We think that the flow pump might now contain soil deposits
after some time of use. What is your opinion? Do you have a similar experience?
Does the washing of the fine materials into the flow pump affect the readings of
the pressure transducer?
A: Fine materials do not affect the readings of the pressure transducer but they
will cause the valves to become clogged and not function as designed. Foreign
material sucked into the pump can also damage the piston seal and cause premature
pump failure. However, we do strongly recommend that you flush the FlowTrac-II
pump after extensive use or after a long idle period.
To flush the pump, simply fill and empty it several times, making sure that you
empty it into a different container than the one that you fill it from.
II-5. Q: What kind of hardware do I need to run extension tests?
A: You need the following items, available from Geocomp Corp.,

to be able to run an extension test:
1. Coupler adapter for attaching the triaxial piston to the load

cell (see top photo at right).
2. Triaxial piston with threaded (¼"-24) nipple at the end (see
bottom photo at right).
3. Metal top cap (standard diameters such as 1.4", 2.8" etc.)
with threaded hole to match item 1 (see bottom photo at
right).
4. Two ¼"-20 bolts, 1½" long, to fasten the triaxial cell to the
platen (not shown). The bolts are fed up through the existing holes in the
platen and screwed into the bottom of the cell.
II-6. Q: Is there any required maintenance for the FlowTrac-II units?
A: Except for regular pressure sensor calibration and keeping the unit clean, your
FlowTrac-II units require only occasional maintenance. The pumps should be flushed
after extensive use and drained before an anticipated long idle time.
Flushing the FlowTrac-II pump is accomplished by first draining the cylinder, using
the FlowTrac-II keypad and LCD menus. (Select Empty on the Position menu and press
Ent.) Draining must be done into a container separate from the one you fill from.
After draining the cylinder, fill it from a clean, de-aerated water source. You need to
repeat this operation several times or until you can see that the drained water is
clear. Leave the FlowTrac-II empty if you are not going to use it for an extended
period of time.
II-7. Q: The FlowTrac-II is making a strange noise only when it empties. Any idea
why it is doing this?
A: The V-Limit PID setting for the embedded controller may need to be adjusted.
Follow these steps:
1. Press ESC on the FlowTrac-II unit to display the LCD main menu (if it is not
already being displayed).
2. Press 4 on the keypad to display the Setup menu.
3. Next, press 4 to display the PID menu.
4. Again, press 4 to access the V-Limit
5. Change the V-Limit from the current value (16340 steps/sec) to 8192 steps/sec.
Reboot the FlowTrac-II by turning it off, waiting about 10 seconds, and turning it
back on. This will cause the PID parameter change to take effect.
II-8. Q: When we unpacked our equipment and started to set it up, I noticed that
the plastic triaxial test cell now contains thousands of tiny hairline cracks, mostly
around the middle, but some on the ends also. Is this a problem?
A: The presence of hairline cracks is very common. When an acrylic cylinder is

made, it is normally cast, and the thickened monomer polymerizes between two
pieces of glass. The shrinkage during polymerization is significant (>10%). As a result,
internal stresses are built into the acrylic material. When the cylinder is cut to the
needed length, internal stress is relieved at the point of the cut but still remains in
the rest of the sheet. Also, any slight imperfection on the surface will cause a
localized concentration of those stresses, and the cylinder could then form hairline
cracks at that point. In practical terms this is not normally a problem unless the
cylinder is exposed to an aggressive environment. UV from outdoor exposure over a
long time (normally years rather than days) will cause surface cracks to appear as the
stress is relieved. These appear as crazing on the surface. The most common
occurrence in the laboratory is when the sheet is exposed to non-polar solvents in the
form of vapors.
II-9. Q: How does the Geocomp Corp. triaxial system deal with the compliance
requirement?
A: The Geocomp Corp. system uses the shortest and stiffest tubing possible with
the smallest possible diameter to virtually eliminate any compliance in the system.
According to the ASTM standard D 4767, Section 5.8:
“. . . Both measuring devices shall have a compliance of all the assembled parts of
the pore-water pressure-measurement system relative to the total volume of the
specimen, satisfying the following requirement:
–6
(ΔV/V)/∆u < 3.2 x 10 m2/ kN (2.2 x 10-5 in2/lb)
Where:
ΔV = change in volume of the pore-water measurement system due to a pore

pressure change, mm3 (in3),
V = total volume of the specimen, mm3 (in3), and
∆u = change in pore pressure, kPa (lb./in2).
NOTE 6—To meet the compliance requirement, tubing between the specimen and
the measuring device should be short and thick-walled with small bores.
Thermoplastic, copper, and stainless steel tubing have been used successfully.”
The tubing that connects a FlowTrac-II unit to the triaxial test cell is a
thermoplastic material, has small bore and is thick-walled. Its length is sufficiently
short for the equipment to be in compliance with the ASTM standard.
II-10. Q: While running a triaxial test we keep getting an error message that the
Sample FlowTrac-II is full. What could be the problem?
A: You have a leak at either one or both of the following locations:
1. Most likely the leak is in the top drainage lines. Make sure that the small O-
rings are in place and lubricated. Also make sure that the drainage lines are
pushed all the way into the top cap holes until they hit the top porous stone.
2. The other possibility is that there is a leak in the membrane. If this is the
case, use a new membrane or use two membranes (recommended). For a
single membrane, put an additional O-ring at each end (at the sample side of
the first O-ring). For two membranes, put two O-rings over the second
membrane, one on each side of the O-ring holding the first membrane in place.
Any leak should show up during the initialization phase. You should maintain the
phase for at least 15 minutes (preferably 60 minutes) to make sure that the target
stresses are held until the T100 condition is reached and that no water is flowing out
of the cell FlowTrac-II to the sample FlowTrac-II.
II-11. Q: At the start of the test I received an error message that the displacement
is too low (count reading is 6-7) to start the test.
A: You will not get this error

message if you raise the cross bar and
then raise the platen until the
displacement sensor reads between
7000 and 30000 counts before you
start the test. It is not a good practice
to start a test with the displacement
sensor close to its limit where it is
nonlinear. You should always start
beyond the lower 10 % range. (The
full range of the sensor is 65536
counts, so 10 % of its range is 6554
counts. Hence the suggestion of 7000
counts as the lowest starting value.)
II-12. Q: Just after we hit start test,

a message appears saying that
“LoadTrac ID 65 pressure reading of
0 is out of range”. We have no
calibration information for pressure
in the software and we only have 2
A/D channels on the machine. One is
for Force and the other is for
displacement. Do you know how we
can correct this so that we can run a
test?
A: It appears that your platen is all the way down; almost close to the lower limit
switch. Please move the platen up until the displacement sensors read about between
20000-30000 counts; then start the test.
III. LIMIT SWITCHES
III-1. Q: The platen moves down during the initialization phase until it triggers the
lower limit, then the test stops and an error message appears on the screen
indicating that the lower limit switch is on. Why is this happening?
A: The behavior you have described happens when the TRIAXIAL program
determines that there is already a stress being applied to the specimen that is greater
than the Vertical Stress specified on the Initialization page. This can happen if the
sensor calibration factors are not correct. First check to be sure these are correct and
re-calibrate the load cell and cell pressure transducers if there is any doubt (see
Appendix A for the calibration procedure). If the load cell is not properly zeroed out
before a test the same behavior will be evident.
The behavior can also happen if the factors the program uses to calculate the
vertical stress are wrong. The program determines the stress by combining the output
of the load cell with three other factors that come from information on the Piston
Settings window (opened by selecting Piston on the Options menu). These other
factors are the area of the piston, the weight of the piston, the friction on the piston
and the uplift (buoyancy) force on the piston due to the cell pressure. The weight of
the piston adds to the load reading while the friction and buoyancy force subtract
from it (see diagram below). The buoyancy force is the product of the cell pressure
and the piston area.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine the actual frictional force on the

piston. However, there is a way of getting around this, a way that also eliminates the
need for the piston weight. The combination of weight, friction and buoyancy force
can be replaced by an effective buoyancy force that is equal to the product of the cell
pressure and an effective area. Putting this effective area in the Area text field on
the Piston Setting window and then leaving the Weight and Friction text fields with
zero is equivalent to using the actual area, weight and friction values.
We determined the effective area of the piston for our standard triaxial system
with the 3400 model triaxial cell. We did this by increasing the cell pressure (while
the cell was in contact with the load cell button and the platen was fixed in position)
and recording the corresponding load cell reading. A picture of the setup used and a
sample graph of the result are shown below. The effective area turned out to be
between 130 mm2 (0.2 in2) and 226 mm2 (0.35 in2) instead of the actual area of 587
mm2 (0.197 in2) (see sample graph above). We typically use 148 mm2 (0.23 in2) as
the effective area. Go to Options/Piston Settings to make these changes.
Effective Triaxial Piston Area

Piston uplift forcs, lbs
25
20
15
10
5 y = 0.205x - 0.5733
2
R = 0.9999
0
0 50 100 150
Cell Pressure, psi
It may be that the effective area value you have in the Piston Setting window is
not correct for your triaxial cell. Go through the procedure of getting load cell
readings while you increase the pressure in the cell. Then plot the result and
determine the slope of the line (Excel works well for this). Use the value of the slope
for the effective area.
III-2. Q: During the test, a controller error message appears on the screen telling
me that a limit switch is on. What should I do?
A: The first thing to do is to look at the front panels of the LoadTrac-II and
FlowTrac-II units to see which unit has a red limit switch flashing.
If the flashing limit switch light is on the LoadTrac-II unit, lock the piston and then
open the System Monitor window. Record the Load value in engineering units.
If the upper limit switch has been triggered, lower the platen (using the LoadTrac-
II keypad) and then lower the cross bar one notch. If the lower limit switch has been
triggered, raise the cross bar one notch and then raise the platen slightly (using the
LoadTrac-II keypad).
Now reapply the load you recorded using the LoadTrac-II LCD menus and keypad.
(From the main menu select Control, then Apply and Maintain Load, then Final Load.
Using the keypad, enter the load value you recorded and then press Ent.) Unlock the
piston. Click Retry on the error window.
If the flashing limit switch light is on a FlowTrac-II unit, close the valve on the
triaxial test cell to which the line from that FlowTrac-II unit is connected and then
open the System Monitor window. Record the appropriate pressure value in
engineering units.
Depending on which limit switch was triggered, refill the pump it was empty or
empty it if it was full so that the pump is about 50% full. Reconnect the line to the
test cell valve.
Before opening the valve, use the FlowTrac-II LCD menus and keypad reapply the
pressure you recorded. (From the main menu select Control, then Apply and Maintain
Pressure, then Final Pressure. Using the keypad, enter the pressure value you
recorded and then press Ent.)
Open the valve on the test cell and then unlock the piston. Click Retry on the
error window.
IV. NETWORK COMMUNICATION
IV-1. Q: There is no communication between the LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II and the

PC. What is going on?
A: Check the Node IDs on the LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II units and in the TRIAXIAL
program Hardware Setup window. They have to be the same values.
The Node ID for each test unit is shown at the upper right on the screen of the
unit. The default values are shown (in red) in the examples below.
LoadTrac-II:
FlowTrac-II (Cell Pressure)
FlowTrac-II (Sample Pressure)
The TRIAXIAL Hardware Setup window is opened by bringing down the Options
menu and selecting Hardware. The Node IDs are shown in the Node ID text fields as
seen in the example below.
Note that the Node IDs shown in the examples above are the default values set at
the factory when the equipment was shipped. If you reset the FlowTrac-II unit used to
control the sample pressure by pressing the Esc Key right after turning it on, that unit
would revert to ID 66. Regardless of the reason that required you to reset the unit,
you must change the ID number back to 67 after resetting. To do this, select the Node
ID option on the FlowTrac-II System Setup menu. (See the FlowTrac-II User Manual for
additional details.)
IV-2. Q: We have several units connected to the same PC. We were running only
one of the units, so we shut off the ones we were not using. Then we got an error
message stating that the unit we had left on was not responding. It seems that we
lost communication. What is happening?
A: A temporary loss of communication is normal when you either shut off or boot
up any system unit connected to the same network. Whenever a unit connected to
the network is powered down or powered up, the network goes into a re-configuration
mode during which no communication is allowed. Depending on how many other units
are on the network, this process may take some time. If the software checks
connections while the process is going on, you will get the “not responding” message.
If not, no message will appear. Should it appear, simply wait a short period of time
and then click the Retry button. Everything should be back to normal.
IV-3. Q: The Network LEDs are Red on the front panel of the LoadTrac-II unit and
both the FlowTrac-II units. There is no communication between the PC and any
unit. All of our ID numbers are correct. What else should we check?
A: Probably the network communication cable (gray cable) is plugged into the
Ethernet jack on the back of your PC instead of into the special (black) adapter that is
plugged into the network communication card that we provided. If you find that this
is the case, unplug the cable and plug it into the adapter on the card (see picture
below). The LEDs should now glow a solid green.
V. POWER OUTAGE
V-1. Q: After an electrical power problem in our building, it seems that the system
is not working properly. We suspect that the set-up values on the embedded
controllers are not correct. How do we revert to the original set-up values or
default values set at the factory?
A: The default values may change either after an electrical power problem or due
to inadvertent actions by the end user.
You will need to revert back to the internal default values of your system by
following these steps:
1. Turn off the LoadTrac-II unit and the two FlowTrac-II units.
2. Wait about 10 sec.
3. As you turn each back on, immediately press the ESC key on the keypad
to reset everything back to the imbedded controller default values.

4. Now go to your LoadTrac-II and FlowTrac-II hardware manuals. In
Section 2.1.4 of each manual (Setup section) you will find a table of
default settings for your system. Got through each LCD menu and be
sure the settings on the menu agree with those in the table. If a setting
does not agree, change it to the one in the manual.
5. If the Node ID numbers on your units were changed (because you are
controlling more than one system with your computer), set them to the
values they were changed to. (The default values are 65 for LoadTrac-
II, 66 for the FlowTrac-II unit controlling cell pressure and 67 for the
FlowTrac-II unit controlling sample pressure.)
V-2. Q: Can we turn off the PC while the test is running (because this test is time-
consuming)?
A: No, absolutely NOT, but you can use other windows programs while the test is
running and you can turn off just the monitor.
VI. SAMPLE PREPARATION
V-1. Q: What is the purpose of the filter paper? Are these strips supposed to be in
contact with the top and bottom stones?
A: Filter paper is used for two purposes:
1. To speed up the consolidation process by providing radial outward drainage and

2. To help pore pressure equalization over the top and bottom areas of the
sample during both the backpressure saturation phase and the undrained shear
phase.
To help achieve these purposes, it is definitely beneficial for the filter paper
strips to be in contact with the porous stones. A good reference on the subject is
given below.
F.2. Software
I. CALIBRATION/ZEROING
I-1. Q: When I view the system before starting a test, there is always an offset of
about ±0.005 kN (1 lb). Why? There is no contact between the vertical load cell
and specimen, so why is there a small offset in the load and how can I make it
zero?
A: Between tests, the load cell output will usually drift a small amount. At best,
the no-load condition will be in the range of ±0.025% of load cell full capacity, which
translates to about ±0.001 kN (±0.25 lb) for a 4.45 kN (1000 lb) load cell. If you
observe a no-load condition on the System Monitor window that is greater than
±0.025% of full capacity, use the following steps to zero the load cell.
1. Be sure the load cell is not in contact with anything.

2. Bring down the Calibrate menu and select Summary to open the Calibration
Summary window. Position this window beside the System Monitor window.
3. Note the Load reading in counts on the System Monitor window (top left text
field).
4. Replace the Offset value that is shown on the Calibration Summary window
(when Load is selected for the Channel choice) with the Load reading (in
counts) that is on the System Monitor window.
5. Click the Apply button, the Download button and then the Ok button to close
the Calibration Summary window.
6. You should now see in the System Monitor window that the vertical load cell
reading (in engineering units) is within ±0.025% of full capacity.
*Note: Steps 2-6 of this re-zeroing process can be applied to any other sensor
once it has been physically set at the “zero” condition.
I-2. Q: What are the actual zero pressures for both the cell and the sample
FlowTrac-II units at the beginning of a triaxial test?
A: The pressure sensor for each FlowTrac-II unit is inside the unit. Consequently,
any column of water in the tubing that goes from the unit to the triaxial cell will
result in a pressure being registered by the pressure transducer at the beginning of a
test. Conventionally, the zero pressure condition is the pressure for the top of the
column being at the mid height of the soil sample in the triaxial cell just before the
test is started (assuming that there are no air bubbles trapped in the lines).
To adjust for different sample heights, follow these steps for both the cell and
sample FlowTrac-II units at the beginning of a test:
1. Open the Output valve (either using the FlowTrac-II keypad or the Valves
Control window in TRIAXIAL)
2. If the output line is connected to the cell, disconnect it and be sure there are
no air bubbles in it. If it is not connected to the cell, use the FlowTrac-II pump
to push water through the line until there are no bubbles. (See Q/A 4 above
for instructions to eliminate air bubbles.)
3. Open the System Monitor window (System option in the View menu) and the
Calibration Summary window (Summary option in the Calibrate menu).
4. Raise the end of the output line to the location that corresponds to the mid-
height of the soil sample. Record the pressure value (in counts) that is shown
on the System Monitor window (the left-hand text field for the pressure
reading).
5. On the Calibration Summary window, select the appropriate Channel (Cell
Pressure or Sample Pressure). Type the pressure value you recorded into the
Offset text field. Click the Apply button.
I-3. Q: In many of our different test files, the calibration values in the Summary
Table and the values in each sensor's individual calibration table are not in sync.
Could you please explain which values the program uses, and how to make sure
they are correct?
A: When running a test, the TRIAXIAL software uses only the parameters that are
shown in the Calibration Summary. A mismatch between these values and those on
the Calibrate window for a particular sensor can occur if the Calibrate window values
have not been saved by clicking the Save button on that window.
To determine whether or not the Summary values are correct, you need to know
how the test was set up. The two possibilities are described below.
The parameters are correct
You have two LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II systems, A and B. You plan to run a test on
system A. A file for a test run on system B is a good template for the test, but the
calibration parameters in it are those for the sensors on system B. You open a
TRIAXIAL control window and load that file into the window. We will call that file
Test-B.
Next, you open a second TRIAXIAL control window and load into it a file for a test
that was run on system A. We will call that file Test-A.
Finally, you copy the calibration parameters from the Calibration Summary in Test-
A and paste them into the Calibration Summary in Test-A.
You now have a control program that contains the correct calibration parameters
for running a test on system A, but those shown on the Calibration Summary will be
different from those on the individual sensor Calibrate windows.
The parameters are not correct
You have two LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II systems, A and B. You plan to run a test on
system A. A file for a test run on system B is a good template for the test, but the
calibration parameters in it are those for the sensors on system B. You open a
TRIAXIAL control window and load that file into the window. We will call that file
Test-B.
You decide to calibrate the sensors and use Test-B to do it. You go through the
calibration procedure for each sensor and click the Calibrate button on each Calibrate
window. But you forget to click the Save button on each window before closing it.
You now have a control program that has the correct calibration parameters on
each Calibrate window, and they will be different from those in the Calibration
Summary. However, it is the incorrect Summary values that will be used to run the
test.
If you know (or suspect) that a test was run using a file with incorrect calibration
parameters on the summary window, you can recover from the error.
Error Recovery
Open a TRIAXIAL control window and load the erroneous test file into it.
You will need to replace the calibration parameters (factors and offsets) that are
shown on the Calibration Summary with correct ones.
If you are certain that the parameters on the individual Calibrate windows are
correct, simply click Save on each of those windows.
If you will have to enter new values manually, there are two ways to do this: (1)
delete the original values and type the new ones into the text fields or (2) copy and
paste the new ones. For the second option, you will need to open a second copy of
TRIAXIAL and load the test file that contains the correct calibration parameters.
Finally, save the file and reload it. The new values will be applied to the
processed data.
*Note: The raw data and the results of data reduction shown on the report
pages will be changed. The stress target values that were entered into the
Initialization page, the Consolidation Table pages and the Shear Table page
will not be changed.
I-4. Q: When I start a test, the program gives me an error message stating that the
calibration factor is too small. I cannot run the test. I checked the Calibration
Summary table. All values for the calibration factors are there; however, the LVDT
calibration factor has a negative sign. What’s wrong?
A: The software does not accept zeros or negative numbers for the calibration
factors in the calibration summary. The most convenient way to calibrate the LVDT is
to add gage blocks between the LVDT shaft and the stop. When this is done, the
output signal decreases for each increment and the resulting calibration factor is
negative. All that is needed is to remove the negative sign in the summary table and
everything should work correctly.
I-5. Q: I used our calibrated gauge blocks to check our displacement sensor on the
load frame. It appears to give readings roughly one half the actual distances. I
double checked that the calibration factor (in/cnt) from the certificate you gave us
is in both the load frame and the software (factor = 3.6498841x10-5). Does this
factor seem to be off by a factor of two, based on the other similar sensors you
have calibrated?
A: The calibration factor is correct. The problem you describe can be caused by
an incorrect setting for the polarity of the displacement sensor. It has to be Unipolar,
not Bipolar. Use the keypad and LoadTrac-II LCD screen (see illustration below) to
make the change as described in the following steps.
1. Use the arrow keys to select option 4, Setup, on the LCD screen.
2. From the Setup options, select option 3, A/D Setup.
3. From the A/D Setup options, select option 2, Channel 2.
4. From the Channel 2 options, select option 2, Polarity.
5. Of the two polarity options, select Unipolar.
6. Finally, turn off the LoadTrac-II and then back on for the changes to take
effect.
I-6. Q: Can I use a new calibration factor and apply it to the previous test I have
already run and get the correct results?
A: Yes, you can.
Open the TRIAXIAL program and load the file for the test you had already run.
You will need to replace the calibration parameters (factor and offset) that are
shown on the Calibration Summary with the new ones. There are two ways to do this:
(1) delete the original values and type the new ones into the text fields or (2) copy
and paste the new ones. For the second option, you will need to open a second copy
of TRIAXIAL and load the test file that contains the new calibration parameters.
Save (using the Save or Save As option in the TRIAXIAL file menu) the altered test
file.
When you load that file again, the new parameters will have been applied to the
processed data.
*Note: The raw data and the results of data reduction shown on the report
pages will be changed. Information that was entered using the various
Property Pages will not be changed.
I-7. Q: I calibrated my transducer and filled out the Calibration table under the
Options menu. However, I can't get the program to save the new calibration
numbers. When I open the file back up the old calibration numbers are still there.
How do I save the new calibration data?
A: Go to File>Save As. Save the file under a new name such as newtemplate.dat
II. CONSOLIDATION PHASE
II-1. Q: What is the main drawback of applying a high effective consolidation stress
in one step?
A: If it is applied too fast, you may prematurely shear your soil sample, especially
if it is a soft clay or loose sand and a small diameter sample such as 35.5 mm (1.40 in).
II-2. Q: If I want to consolidate the sample under a high effective pressure, is it

better to increase the cell pressure linearly or by steps? If linearly is best, what is
the recommended stress rate?
A: Increasing the cell pressure by steps is preferable. The step method will
provide you with additional information about the sample consolidation properties.
However, it is possible to increase the stress linearly. The rate depends on the
type and stiffness of soil being tested. There is no one rate we can recommend.
However, it is the case that the rate should be slower for a soft sample than for a stiff
sample.
II-3. Q: I understand that the TRIAXIAL program automatically runs a K0

consolidation at a click of a button. How is K0 consolidation run?
A: In order to run a K0 consolidation is necessary to put a check mark in the K0 box

on the Consolidation/B Table page (by clicking on that box). When this is done, the
page replaces the Effective Horizontal column with a Minimum K column and a
Maximum K column (see the example Consolidation/B Table page below.)
The K used in a K0 consolidation is the coefficient of earth pressure and is defined

by the equation
Where the numerator and denominator are the horizontal earth pressure and vertical
earth pressure respectively.
K0 is the coefficient of earth pressure at rest (i.e., when there is no lateral

movement). For this situation, K0 = 1 − sin φ (Jaky's Solution, 1944) where the angle φ
is the angle of shear resistance (the effective internal friction angle).
Kmax is the maximum value of the coefficient of earth pressure. Kmax is known also
as the coefficient of passive earth pressure, Kp (about 3.0).
Kmin is the minimum value of the coefficient of earth pressure. Kmin is known also
as the coefficient of active earth pressure Ka (about 0.3).
The K0 Gain that needs to be entered on the Consolidation/B page (second text
field from the bottom) is approximately equal to the bulk modulus of the soil.
Unfortunately, the letter K is used also to specify bulk modulus. The equation shown
below defines the bulk modulus (which is the inverse of the compressibility).
In the equation, P is pressure and V is volume.
The bulk modulus thus measures the response in pressure due to a change in
relative volume, essentially measuring the substance's resistance to uniform
compression.
The bulk modulus is related to the Young’s modulus, E, and the shear modulus, G,
through the equation below.
Typical Young’s Modulus and Shear Modulus values for various soil types are shown
in the following published tables:
EM1110-1-1904: Engineering and Design Settlement Analysis by Army Corps Eng.
Soil Es (tsf) Es (kPa)

Very soft clay 5 ~ 50 500 4800
Soft clay 50 ~ 200 4800 ~ 19200
Medium clay 200 ~ 500 19200 ~ 47900
CLAY
Stiff clay, Silty clay 500 ~ 1000 47900 ~ 95800
Sandy clay 250 ~ 2000 23900 ~ 191500
Clay shale 1000 ~ 2000 95800 ~ 191500
Loose sand 100 ~ 250 9600 ~ 23900
Dense sand 250 ~ 1000 23900 ~ 95800
SAND
Dense sand and gravel 1000 ~ 2000 95800 ~ 191500
Silty sand 250 ~ 2000 23900 ~ 191500
Advanced Soil Mechanics by B. M. Das
Soil Type Poisson's Ratio

Loose sand 0.2 ~ 0.4
Medium dense sand 0.25 ~ 0.4
Dense sand 0.3 ~ 0.45
Silty sand 0.2 ~ 0.4
Sand and gravel 0.15 ~ 0.35
ν ≈ 0.25+(0.0025)x(PI), where PI = Plasticity index. Wroth (1975)
Design applications of raft foundations by J. A. Hemsley
Poisson's Ratio
Soil Type Short-term
Long-term Loading
Loading
Gravel 0.3 0.3
Sand 0.35 0.3
Silt, silty clay 0.45 0.35
Stiff clay 0.45 0.25
Soft clay 0.5 0.4
Compacted clay 0.45 0.3
The TRIAXIAL program runs a K0 consolidation by forcing zero lateral strain (i.e.,
keeping the area constant) throughout the consolidation phase. This is done by
equating the vertical strain to the volumetric strain. (See example graph below.)
Ko Consolidation
1.2
1
Ko test data
0.8
0.6
0.4
Axial Strain
0.2
Volumetric Strain
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
-0.2
Time, min.
When running a K0 test, be sure that the following conditions are satisfied.
1. The triaxial cell has to be filled with de-aerated water.

2. The stress rate has to be as slow as possible for the software program to make
the appropriate closed loop control adjustments.
3. The temperature of the lab should be maintained as constant as possible.
II-4. Q: I noticed that the cell volume starts to fluctuate as cell pressures greater
than 900 kPa (125 psi) are applied (see attached graph). Why does it do this?
A: The fluctuations you have observed can be the result of the cell pressure I-Gain
setting being too high for the pressure you are applying. As each step in the
consolidation phase applies a higher and higher effective stress, the sample
compresses and gets stiffer and stiffer. The default I-Gain setting of 0.01 works well
for most soil conditions. (While trying to maintain the target pressure, the FlowTrac-II
will try to make adjustments too quickly which will result in sequential overshoots and
undershoots of the target value.) Bring down the Options menu and select PID. On
the sub-menu that opens select Cell Pressure to open the Cell Pressure PID Settings
window and decrease the Integral value from its current value and click on Apply.
If there are still fluctuations, reduce the Proportional Gain. (Note that the
settings should be kept as high as possible so that adjustments will be made quickly
but without fluctuations.)
II-5. Q: I have run a series of CU triaxial tests on 37 mm diameter samples of silty

clay. I see consistently that there are fluctuations in the deviator stress. See
Attached. What is causing these fluctuations? Are my tests bad?
A: The graph looks good (showing no fluctuations) until the sample reaches failure.
At that point you should not expect a smooth curve
because the sample is shearing. A number of factors may
affect the resulting shape of the post-failure curve. A few
of them are listed below.
Soil homogeneity
Sample size
Nature of the failure
Soil consistency
End effect
Sticky piston
Furthermore, ASTM standard D 4767, section 8.4.2.1

stipulates the following:
“8.4.2.1 At a minimum, record load and deformation to three significant digits,

and pore-water pressure values to the nearest0.7 kPa (0.1 psi), at increments of 0.1
to 1% strain and, thereafter, at every 1%. Take sufficient readings to define the
stress-strain curve; hence, more frequent readings may be required in the early
stages of the test and as failure is approached. Continue the loading to 15% strain,
except loading may be stopped when the principal stress difference (deviator stress)
has dropped 20% or when 5% additional axial strain occurs after a peak in principal
stress difference (deviator stress).”
Therefore, you could delete the extraneous data points past the peak, or after 15%
strain is reached.
II-6. Q: The consolidation phase of a CIUC test that I am running is taking over 2
days. The sample does not seem to ever consolidate. (See the attached Test
Graph window.) I am testing a 70 mm (2.8 in) diameter silty clay sample. Any
ideas or comments as to why it is taking so long? Am I doing something wrong?
A: Silty clay should not take this much time to consolidate. According to our
experience, it should take only about 4 hours. The graphs you have attached imply
that there is a very small leak between the sample and the cell. Normally the cell
volume should not change very much once the target pressure is reached (water is
incompressible). Your attachment shows 115 cc of cell volume change and still
increasing. The sample volume change is very high as well. A quick calculation based
on initial degree of consolidation, void ratio, and initial volume of sample shows that
the sample volume change should not be 115 cc.
The typical height for a 70 mm (2.8 in) diameter sample is 140 mm (5.6 in). If this
is the height of your sample, its volume is 650 cc. The volume change shown on your
attached graph corresponds to almost 18% which is very high for this kind of soil and
the effective stress applied.
We recommend stopping the test, putting an additional membrane on the sample

and starting the test again.
II-7. Q: We were expecting the T100 graph during the consolidation phase to level
off. Instead, it turns back up. What do you think is happening?
A: Your expectation is correct. It should start to level off and then continue to go
down gradually. Two possibilities for your result are that the sample had a tendency
to swell or the sample was subjected to an excessively high effective stress by mistake
prior to the consolidation phase which would result in the sample rebounding.
II-8. Q: We are in the process of running some tests with the triaxial set-up. I
believe we are having an issue with the consolidation phase. Why do the
consolidation curves seem strange?
A: Unless you are running K0 consolidation, the sample is being squeezed in both
vertical and horizontal directions during the consolidation phase. Therefore you must
use volumetric (NOT vertical strain) when analyzing your results. The curves from
above should now look like:
III. GENERAL
III-1. Q: At the beginning of the test I have this window telling me "Unlock the
piston - Press ok when ready. . ." For which phase do I need to lock the piston
again?
A: Once the piston is unlocked before a test starts, it should stay unlocked
throughout the entire test (i.e., until the test is finished). So you should not lock the
piston until the test has ended and you are ready to remove the triaxial cell from the
LoadTrac-II platen.
III-2. Q: How does the TRIAXIAL program account for the membrane and filter
corrections?
A: The TRIAXIAL program uses the following equations to account for the
membrane and filter corrections:
The correction for membrane stiffness is given by
.
CMEM is the membrane stiffness factor. Bishop and Henkel (1957) describe an
experimental procedure to measure CMEM and give typical values of 1.65 lb./in for a
standard 1.4-inch diameter membrane of 0.008-inch thickness and 2.0 lb./in for a 4-
inch diameter membrane of 0.01-inch thickness.
If filter strips are present, an additional correction for filter strips is made. The
correction (that ignores any correction for membrane stiffness) that is given by
.
Bishop and Henkel (1957) suggests a value of 2 psi for FSC on 1.5 inch diameter
samples with vertical filter strips covering half of the sample's circumference and 0.5
psi on 4 inch diameter samples.
The corrected deviator stress on the sample equals the deviator stress minus the
corrections and so is given by
.
III-3. Q: What are the area correction equations for uniform and parabolic?
A:
III-4. Q: I noticed that the engineering readings on the LCD screen are different
than the ones on the PC screen. Are they supposed to be the same? Did it affect
the results of a test I just ran?
A: First, be assured that any mismatch of the engineering readings values between
the LCD and the PC screens will not affect the results of a test that you run using the
TRIAXIAL program.
A mismatch can occur if the calibration parameters that are shown in the
Calibration Summary (opened using the Calibration menu) have not been downloaded
into the imbedded controllers of the LoadTrac-II unit and FlowTrac-II units. However,
the software uses only the Calibration Summary values when it runs a test.
Consequently, it is very important that these are correct.
To synchronize the LCD and PC screen readings, you need to update the calibration
parameters in the imbedded controller of the LoadTrac-II unit. To do this, follow the
steps shown below.
1. Bring down the Calibrate menu and select Summary.
2. On the Calibration Summary window, select the sensor that you want to update
(from the list shown when the pull-down button to the right of the top text
field is clicked).
3. Click the Download button. This will automatically transfer (copy and save)
the current calibration parameters (Factor and Offset) for the selected sensor
into the embedded controller.
4. Repeat the above procedure for the other sensors.
You should now see that the PC and LCD screen values match.
III-5. Q: Can the software detect wrong values that are manually entered by the
end user?
A: Yes, the software program detects any erroneous values that have been
entered. It also detects certain hardware malfunctions. Examples include:
1. Negative values for sample dimensions, calibration factors, and PID control
parameters
2. Zero values for sample dimensions, calibration factors (except for offset
value), and PID control parameters
3. Wrong Node ID numbers
4. A malfunctioning sensor that it is giving an analog reading of either 0 (the
minimum value) or 65535 (the maximum value)
5. Any unit (LoadTrac-II or FlowTrac-II) that is not on.
III-6. Q: I am running a test. Do I need to wait until the end of the test to see the
results?
A: You do not need to wait until the end of the test. While the test is running:
1. Go to the File menu.

2. Select Load.
3. Go to the Report menu. You will be able to see the partial test results up to
the point when you did the Load.
4. Repeat the above steps as the test progresses.
III-7. Q: Why is the displacement value shown on the System Monitor screen
different than the one shown in the Test Monitor screen?
A: The System Monitor window shows the unadjusted reading of the displacement
transducer, displaying the result in counts and engineering units. The value in
engineering units is obtained by using the calibration parameters shown in the
Calibration Summary window (Summary option in the Calibrate menu).
The Test Monitor window, on the other hand, shows the distance the platen has
moved from the beginning of the test. All Geocomp Corp. software programs record
the displacement transducer reading at the beginning of a test and then subtracts this
initial reading from further readings before displaying the result on the Test Monitor
window (i.e., the transducer is zeroed at the beginning of the test). Consequently the
Test Monitor window shows the zeroed value, not the actual reading.
The value shown in the report should match the Test Monitor value.
III-8. Q: The phase relationship of my triaxial CU test does not look right, I am
wondering what I am doing wrong?
A: The phase relationship calculations are affected by several factors such as the
exact sample measurements, loss of soil at the end of the test, and assumed vs.
measured specific gravity. We recommend exercising caution and using your best
engineering judgment when reporting the data. For example the degree of saturation
should always be less than or equal to 100%. For calculation details, see Appendix E.
III-9. Q: I was wondering if once you initialize the FlowTrac and start a test if it is
OK to turn off the water supply? I ask because I have the system set up so that the
water supplies for both FlowTrac's are connected to a deairing chamber and I
would like to start deairing more water while one test is running.
A: Yes, you can turn off the water supply. After initialization the FlowTrac-II’s use
the water that was drawn in only during the initialization.
III-10. Q: Do I need to provide piston friction and piston weight or is this

information redundant for the test?
A: It is good practice to include piston weight, since this is accounted for in the
deviator load computations. Piston friction is not necessary to include.
III-11. Q: The software manual says that the Proportion Gain can be as high as 5
for soft soils and as low as 0.5 for stiff soils. Also, the Integral Gain should
probably be set to 0.1 for very stiff samples. What other values might be used and
how are we going to decide on the best values to use? Please clarify.
A: It is possible to use any Proportional Gain (P-Gain) value from 0.5 to 5 and any
Integral Gain (I-Gain) from 0.1 to 1. (The Derivative Gain value of 0 should not be
changed.) The rate at which a load is applied at the beginning of a step depends on
both the P-Gain and the I-Gain: lower value = slower rate, higher value = faster rate.
The time to reach a target value increases by a factor of about 3 from a P-Gain of 0.5
to 5. The table below gives general guidelines for P-Gain settings.
Recommended P-Gain
Sample stiffness
value
LOOSE /VERY SOFT 5.0
MEDIUM SOFT/MEDIUM 2.5
DENSE/STIFF 0.5
In addition, the following information may help you to decide what value will be
best for your sample.
The graphs shown below are for loading curves generated during a test. (They
were generated from data dumped into a file after the test.) Note that the time scale
is not the same for the different soil types. When possible, the target load/pressure
should be reached in less than 0.5 min. Consequently a high P-Gain setting is good for
very soft soils.
It is easy to reach the target load/pressure value for stiff soils. However (as seen
in the last two graphs), the target value may not be reached smoothly. To help this
situation, the I-Gain (or both the I-Gain and P-Gain) can be decreased.
In addition, a “rule of thumb” for response time is given in Section 6.0 of ASTM
standard D2435: Standard Test Methods for One-Dimensional Consolidation
Properties of Soils Using Incremantal Loading.
“Load application generally should be completed in a time corresponding to 0.01

t100 or less. For soils where primary consolidation is completed in 3 min, load
application should be less than 2 s.”
To find out what the T100 value is for a step in a test, open the Test T100 window
(by choosing the T100 option in the View menu) at the beginning of the step. As soon
as the ICONP program has gathered enough information, it will show the graphical
determination of the T100 value on the window. It will also list the T100 value in the
Test Monitor window.
To change a PID setting click PID on the Options menu to open the Load PID
Settings window. Replace the default value with the new value, click the Apply
button and then close the window.
III-12. Q: Does the data that is obtained through the dump feature include
corrections such as area, membrane, etc. or is that raw data?
A: The dumped data is raw data it does not include any correction.
IV. INITIALIZATION PHASE
IV-1. Q: How can I change the rate at which the pumps fill during flow pump
initialization? The cell pressure pump appears to fill at a substantially slower rate
than the sample-pressure pump.
A: The filling and emptying rates during the initialization process cannot be
changed. Filling the pump cylinders involves suction; as a result the filling rate has
been set so that no cavitation will occur.
IV-2. Q: What is the purpose, in general, of the "Initialization" phase?
A: Initialization is an important phase that:
Allows the user to check the proper functioning of the entire system (LoadTrac-
II and two FlowTrac-II units) while it is applying only a small effective stress
(see next Q/A) on the sample.
Allows the user to detect early leaks either through the latex membrane, the
fittings, or the triaxial cell (acrylic chamber not tightened, O-rings out of
alignment, etc.
Applies a small effective stress on the sample so that the sample state of
stresses is moved away from the failure line on a stress path diagram. This will
prevent any possible early set-up failure of the sample, especially for very soft
soils or very loose sands.
IV-3. Q: What typical magnitudes of stress would you apply during initialization,
prior to beginning backpressure saturation?
A: Typically you want to apply a small effective horizontal and vertical stress on
the sample, such as 20 to 27 kPa (3 to 4 psi). The Sample pressure should be
approximately 7 kPa (1 psi). The Stress rate can be approximately 140 kPa/min (20
psi/min). See example below.
IV-4. Q: How long do I have to leave the initialization phase running?
A: 60 minutes is a sufficient duration to detect any problem (in particular, leaks).

(Note that if 60 minutes is specified on the Initialization page, the phase will run for
slightly longer than that if it is not stopped manually. The duration time starts from
the moment that the stresses specified on the Initialization page are reached.) If you
find no leaks and the test seems to be running as it should, you do not need to wait for
the full 60 minutes. However, you should wait until the T100 condition is reached. To
move to the next phase manually, go to the Run menu and click on Next Step.
IV-5. Q: My sample compressed during the initialization phase. Why would this
happen?
A: Compression during the initialization phase can happen if:
1. The calibration factor of the load cell is wrong (smaller than the correct one)
resulting in a larger than intended load being applied.
2. The offset value for the vertical load is wrong (larger than the correct one)
resulting in the load starting at negative value.
3. The sample is extremely soft.
If the load cell has not been calibrated recently, you should check to be sure the
calibration is correct or go through the calibration procedure for it (see Appendix A).
You can check the offset value by first lowering the platen so that there is no load
on the load cell. Then open the System Monitor window (System option on the View
menu) and the Calibration Summary window (Summary option on the Calibrate menu).
Check to be sure that the load count reading on the System Monitor window (left box
at the top) is the same as the Offset value on the Calibration Summary window.
If the calibration factor and the offset are correct, reduce the vertical stress and
horizontal stress values that have been entered on the Initialization page.
IV-6. Q: Sometimes during the initialization phase, we need to open the drainage
valve (the far right valve) to get rid of the remaining air bubbles. How will this
affect the volumetric calculations?
A: Opening the drainage valve during any phase of a test will definitely adversely
affect the volumetric calculations. If you see air bubbles in the line during the
initialization phase, we recommend that you abort the test and remove the triaxial
test cell from the platen. Then remove air bubbles (by flushing the sample and
bleeding the lines) before putting the triaxial test cell back on the platen and starting
the test again. (See the latter part of Section 6.1, Preparing a Specimen, for details).
V. REPORT
V-1. Q: When I use report software, the scale does not change to what I want. For
example, if I want to change the vertical displacement scale to negative 0.02, it
will not change, but if I change it to negative 0.2 it will change. (In this particular
case the default minimum value is negative 0.05). A similar thing happens to
normal and shear stress scales.
A: The software tries to keep both the vertical and horizontal scale in a ratio of
1:1 so that the Mohr circles are actually circles not ovals. Thus, there are values in
the scaling that are not acceptable to the software. You may have to keep on trying
different values to get the combination that is best for you.
V-2. Q: After running a successful test we ran into troubles with the report. We
were not able to generate a report because all links on the report pull down menu
are inactive. Are we missing something, or is the software not entirely installed?
A: To make the links active, parameters and data for a test must be loaded into
the TRIAXIAL program so that they can be displayed on the various TRIAXIAL windows.
Go through the following steps to load a data file.
1. First pull down the File menu.
2. Next, click on Load. This will display a window that shows data files for tests
that have been completed (and for any test that is currently running).
Highlight the file name for the test you wish to load and then click Open.
3. Finally, pull down the Report menu. You should now see that the options for
Graph and Table, as well as the Settings and Edit options, are all activated.
Using these options, you can view the results of the test, change various settings
for the report and edit the test data points. Remember that each time you change or
edit any item you will need to save the file and load it again.
V-3. Q: I have a question about graphing the results of a CU test. Triaxial reports
have the option of graphing either max shear or max obliquity. Could you explain
the difference and when you'd report one instead of the other? Up to now, we
have been reporting max obliquity for each test.
A: You should use the maximum obliquity for CU tests, and maximum shear for CD
tests.
When reporting maximum obliquity, you should specify Effective Stress on the
Stress Path Graphs page of the Report Setting window. The failure condition for this
setting is the maximum principal effective stress ratio, ( σ1’ / σ3’) max.
When reporting maximum shear, you should specify Total Stress on this window.
The failure condition for this setting is the maximum principal total stress ratio, ( σ1-
σ3) max.
V-4. Q: We are using the TRIAXIAL: Report software program to present

consolidated undrained tests. We normally assume failure to occur at either the
maximum deviator stress, 10% strain (total stress), maximum effective stress ratio,
or 5% strain (effective stress). I have not been able to find a way to present Mohr’s
circles using the 5% or 10% strain limitations using TRIAXIAL: Report. Is there a
way to do this?
A: Yes. You can present the Mohr’s circles for any strain level. The following
steps will lead you through how to do this.
1. Click the Test Parameters tab to display the Test Parameters page. At the
bottom of the page where it says Show Strength at, click the circle beside
Specified Strain.
2. Enter your desired strain value (5%, 10%, or any other value).
3. Bring down the File menu and select Save as. Save your file with a modified
name.
4. Reload the saved file. The software program will now pick the strength at the
strain that you specified.
5. Repeat for the remaining tests of the series.
V-5. Q: How do you delete a bad set of sensor readings at the completion of a test?
A: First, confirm that the particular reading set is really bad (due to an electrical
power surge or some other unusual circumstance).
If you are certain the set should be deleted, follow these steps:
1. Bring down the Report menu.

2. Select Edit.
3. The window that opens contains a table of readings for the Initialization phase.
If the bad set is in another phase, click the Next button until the phase you
want is displayed.
4. Right click on the number designating the row you wish to delete.
5. The window that opens contains the choices of Delete and Insert. Move the
cursor to Delete and left click. The row with the bad readings will be deleted
and all other rows will be renumbered.
6. Use Save As to save the file with a new name.
*CAUTION: Always keep the original test file intact in case the data set
turns out not to be bad and you need to return to the original file.
V-6. Q: The stress strain curves for my triaxial test looks wavy with negative
values. I am testing a very soft soil. Is there something wrong with what I am
doing?
A: Probably your graph looks like the one shown below.
If this is the case, it is actually typical of very soft soils because the rolling effect
of the membrane creates a rippling pattern (see picture below). The strength is
gained by each rolling step.
The negative values can be explained by the fact that the Membrane Correction
Factor (on the Test Parameters page) is higher than the soil strength itself. If you
replace the Membrane Correction Factor value with zero, your graph will be positive
and will look more like that shown below.
V-7. Q: Is it possible to view the data and graphs while a test is in progress?
A: You do not need to wait until the end of the test. While the test is running:
1. Go to the File menu.

2. Select and click on Load.
3. Go to the Report menu. You should now be able to see the partial data up to
the point when you did the Load.
4. Repeat the above steps as the test progresses.
V-8. Q: How can I print my tables and graphs at the end of the test?
A: To print the table or graph for a completed test,

follow these steps:
1. Bring down the Report menu.

2. Select Table (or Graph).
3. Click on View at the upper left corner of the
window that opens (see illustration below), then
select print.
V-9. Q: Some triaxial test results are showing negative cohesion intercept. Is this
possible? Can we adjust the cohesion intercept so it is equal to zero?
A: There are several factors that could cause a small

negative cohesion intercept. Three of them are the non-
consistency of the soil sample tested, slight imbalances
at the beginning of the shear phase and the sample not
being fully in contact with the triaxial piston.
To correct the problem for purposes of the report

(using the TRIAXIAL:REPORT software), select Settings on
the Report menu. On the Report Settings window that
opens, click the Stress Path Graphs tab. Put a
checkmark in the box beside User Specified Strength
Envelope (near the bottom of the window). Open the
shear graphs window (using the Shear option for Graphs
on the Report menu) so you can watch what happens as
you change the Intercept and Slope values in the text
fields at the bottom of the window. You can put in
values of intercept and slope to suit your needs. After
typing in a value, click the Apply button and the new
value will take effect.
*CAUTION: Before closing the program, click Save All in the File menu.
Otherwise the new settings will not be saved.
V-10. Q: We collected too many data points. Is there a way to delete some?
A: Yes. Select Edit on the Report menu. On the window that opens, click Next
until the phase containing the data you wish to edit is displayed. Right click on the
number for the row you wish to delete. On the option window that opens, select and
click Delete. (See screen capture below.)
VI. SATURATION PHASE
VI-1. Q: I am running a triaxial test on a compacted sand material. My saturation

ratio (Skempton pore pressure coefficient B) does not seem to ever reach the
minimum value of 0.95 that I specified on the Saturation page. Am I doing
something wrong? Is there a technique to improve the initial saturation of the

sample before starting the test?
A: First check to be sure that your cell and sample pressure sensor calibration
factors are correct. If there is any reason they might have changed (e.g., they have
not been calibrated recently or there was some event that might have affected the
transducer functioning), go through the calibration procedure described in Appendix A.
Next, you could try a technique widely used to improve the saturation process.
Flushing the specimen with carbon dioxide gas (CO2) to replace as much air as possible
prior to backpressure saturation is a good way to improve saturation because CO2 has
higher water solubility than air. The following steps will guide you through the
technique.
1. Dip the top drainage line (far right on the base) into a small container of clear
water and open the valve.
2. Connect a regulated source of compressed CO2 to the bottom drainage line
(second from the left on the base) and open the valve on that line.
3. Open the valve on the CO2 and slowly increase CO2 pressure until bubbles start
escaping through the water into which you have put the top drainage line.
Continue flushing the sample with CO2 for about 15 minutes.
4. Close the CO2 valve and the valve on the bottom drainage. Replace the CO2
source with the de-aerated water source.
5. Open the valve on the bottom drainage line and apply a small vacuum to the
top drainage line to force a slow upward flow of de-aerated water into the
specimen. Continue until no more bubbles show in the top drainage line.
6. Finally, disconnect the device you are using to apply the vacuum and close the
valves on both the top and bottom drainage lines.
For further information, refer to:
Rad, N. S., and G. W. Clough (1984). "New Procedure for Saturating Sand
Specimens" Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE, Vol. 110,
No. 9, pp. 1205-1218.
Chaney, R. C.; Stevens, Edward; Sheth, Niranjan. (1979). “Suggested Test
Method for Determination of Degree of Saturation of Soil Samples by B Value
Measurement”
VI-2. Q: It seems that no matter what we do, we can never achieve 0.95 B value
during the saturation. We used the carbon dioxide flushing method. We increased
the time intervals in the saturation table. Is there anything else that we should
try?
A: You may never get a B value of 0.95 because of the soil type that you are
testing. See table below.
Theoretical B-Values for different soils at complete or nearly complete

saturation*
Soil Type S=100% S=99%
Soft, normally
0.9998 0.986
Consolidated clays
Compacted silts and clays; lightly over
0.9988 0.930
consolidated clays
Overconsolidated stiff clays; sands at most
0.9877 0.51
densities
Very dense sands; very stiff clays at high
0.9130 0.10
confining pressures
*BLACK, D.K., AND LEE, K.L. (1973)”Saturating Laboratory Samples by Back

Pressure.” Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, ASCE,
Vol.99,No.SM1,pp.75-93
Furthermore ASTM standard D 4767, Section 8.2.3 states:
”Specimens shall be considered to be saturated if the value of B is equal to or

greater than 0.95, or if B remains unchanged with addition of back pressure
increments.”
VI-3. Q: We are having problems saturating a sample for a C.U. Triaxial test. Our
initial calculations from moisture content and density show the sample we are
using to be at least 90% saturated. The software/equipment while monitoring the
test gives a B factor that starts out at 0.15 and after running all night we have
0.65. Is this possible, and why? In addition, if we stop the same test and
restart....the saturation reading during the tests always start again at 0.15. How is
this possible?
A: This behavior is possible if the lines are not fully bled prior to starting a test.
Air bubbles trapped in the lines, the specimen and the pedestal and cap can
drastically slow down the saturation process. Refer Section 6.1 for how to get rid of
all air bubbles.
VI-4. Q: At the beginning of the saturation phase I noticed that the B value
(minimum saturation ratio) went as low as -5 and then got back up to positive
values after a while. What should I do to prevent this from happening?
A: Double the values of the T1, T2 and T3 (on the Saturation page). This will give
more time for the water to move through the sample so that the B value determined
during the T1 time is more representative of a steady-state condition.
VI-5. Q: I am getting negative values for B (Skempton Pore Pressure Coefficient)

during back pressure saturation. (See attached graph.) What could be the
problem?
A: The problem is either wrong calibration factors, or a small leak in the supply
solenoid valve inside the FlowTrac-II unit that is controlling the pore pressure. You
can check for a leak by inspecting the supply line for any water coming out during the
saturation phase.
If you find evidence of a leak, please contact Geocomp Corp. for information about
replacing the solenoid valve. If there is no evidence of a leak, calibrate the pressure
transducer following the procedure given in Appendix A.
VI-6. Q: Besides the B value, is there another way to check the saturation of our
sample?
A: Looking at the B value is the only way to know accurately what the saturation
status is. However, during the Saturation phase, you can watch the sample volume vs.
time graph (plotted in real time on the Test Graph window, opened using the Test
Graph option on the View menu). The leveling off of ∆Vs is an indication that full
saturation is being approached because it shows there is no more water going into the
sample. (See sample graph below.)
VI-7. Q: I am testing soft clay, and I have already sheared a few samples during the
saturation phase. I am using a pressure increment of 50 kPa and a pressure rate of
50 kPa/min. Why is my sample shearing prematurely?
A: Both your pressure increment and your rate are too high for this type of soil.
For very soft soil samples you risk shearing the sample during the saturation phase if
you use pressure and rate values that work well for stiff soils. Try reducing the
pressure increment to 10 kPa and the rate to 20 kPa. If the sample still shears, reduce
the values even farther.
VI-8. Q: We have several CU tests that report having a B-value greater than 1.0. In
some cases it is as high as 1.7. Any idea what may cause this to happen? Your
input would be greatly appreciated.
A: Two possible causes for the B value being higher than 1.0 are an erroneous
calibration factor for either the cell or the sample pressure transducer, and a leak.
We suggest checking your calibration factors and re-calibrating the pressure
transducers if there is any reason to believe the factors might be wrong.
If there is a leak, it should show up during the initialization phase as a flow of

water from the cell FlowTrac-II pump to the sample FlowTrac-II pump. You can look
for this by displaying the system monitor on the LCD for each FlowTrac-II unit (select
Monitor from the main menu then choose Monitor). The percent full value for each
pump should not be changing significantly.
VI-9. Q: Is it possible that the B value will drop during the cycling step of the back
pressure saturation?
A: This is possible if the time interval to allow for the pore pressure equalization
during the back pressure saturation (specified by the T2 value on the Saturation page)
was not long enough resulting in pressure changes only at the sample ends. Then
when the cycling step is reached, the B value will drop reflecting the continuing
equalization throughout the sample. A drop in B value will not have any negative
effect on the test.
VI-10. Q: I am getting negative B values at the beginning of the saturation phase.

How could that be possible?
A: Yes, it is possible to initially get some small negative values of B if the T1 and
T2 values are relatively small and the soil sample is a stiff to very stiff material.
Eventually the B value will become positive and start to ramp up. When a very
stiff material is being tested, we recommend that you use values of 15 min and 10 min
for T1 and T2 respectively.
If the valve for sample pressure is closed on the triaxial cell it is also possible to
get similar results. Please see the Triaxial Cell manual for more information about
correct valve settings.
Another cause can be air bubbles in the sample system. Make absolutely sure that
you have removed all bubbles from the region between the sample and membrane,
and from the sample-pressure lines. This can be done at the beginning of the test
using the procedure described in Section 6.1.
VI-11. Q: I was just wondering if there was a way to set up the triaxial test to do an
unloading/reloading cycle?
A: Yes you can. Using the Shear Table, you can setup the load/unload and reload
specifics. The important note is how and where you would like to stop the unload
portion of the shear before loading again; you can use deviator stress or axial strain as
your criteria which will depend on your particular application.
Stress Criteria: It is good practice to reach a certain deviator stress during the
loading then unload to about a minus (-) ¼ of the deviator stress reached before
loading again. The rate must be stress control
Strain Criteria: again depends on your application and the soil type that you are
testing you may want to stay within the elastic portion of the stress strain curve. The
rate must be strain control.
See the example on the following page:
Loading and Unloading Stress Strain Curve using Stress Criteria.
VII. SHEAR PHASE
VII-1. Q: What is the expected excess pore pressure during an undrained shear of
granular soil?
A: The graph below shows the typical qualitative behavior for the excess pore
water pressure during an undrained shear phase of a triaxial test. Note that the
pressure as a function of strain for a loose sample is quite different from that of a
dense sample.
15
Excess Pore Pressure

Loose Sample
0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Dense Sample
-15
Strain (%)
VII-2. Q: In what unit is the shear rate? The software program shows the Rate as
(/min) with no unit in the numerator?
A: The unit for rate depends on the

Shear Step Control parameter you have
chosen. If you have chosen Strain, the
rate is %/min (see first example at right).
If you have chosen Stress, the rate is
kPa/min (for metric units) or psi/min
(English units). (See second example at
right). If you wish, you can choose a
different unit for stress and/or for time.
(The choice of units is made on the
window opened by selecting the Units
item on the Options menu.) Then the
rate under Strain control will be
%/(chosen time unit) and the rate under
Stress control will be in (chosen stress
unit)/(chosen time unit). See the third
example at right where the rate would be (chosen stress unit)/sec.
VII-3. Q: Is there a strain rate that you recommend for the shear phase?
A: The strain rate should be calculated according to ASTM standard D 4767 Section
8.4.2 as follows:
“8.4.2 Axial Loading – Apply axial loading to the specimen using a rate of axial strain
that will produce approximate equalization of pore pressures throughout the
specimen at failure. Assuming failure will occur after 4 %, a suitable rate of strain,
´ε, may be determined from the following equation:
(3)
Where:
T50 = time value obtained in 8.3.5.
If, however, it is estimated that failure will occur at a strain value lower than 4
%, a suitable strain rate may be determined using Eq 3 by replacing 4 % with the
estimated failure strain. This rate of strain will provide for determination of
accurate effective stress paths in the range necessary to define effective strength
envelopes.”
The table below will be helpful in determining a good strain rate.
Recommended strain Rates in %/min

SAND Very Dense Dense Medium Loose Very Loose
Very soft
CLAY Very Stiff Stiff Medium Soft
(plastic)
% Strain at
Failure, εf 1% 2% 4% 8% 15 %
T50 min Rate of Strain, έ (%/min)
0.5 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.18 0.34
1.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.8 1.5
5.0 0.02 0.04 0.08 0.16 0.3
10 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.08 0.15
20 0.005 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.075
30 0.0034 0.007 0.015 0.03 0.05
60 0.0017 0.0035 0.007 0.015 0.025
You will need to know the type of soil you are working with and the T50 value (the
time for 50% primary consolidation) that can be determined during the consolidation
phase. Then you can use the table to find the recommended strain rate. Or you can
use the table to get an estimated value for the % strain at failure, εf, and use the
equation έ= εf /(10T50)
The easiest way to get the T50 value for a consolidation phase step is by dividing
T100 by 6. The T100 value is shown on the Test Monitor window (opened by choosing
Test Monitor from the View menu). But you need to wait until the test is well into the
step before using the T100 value (it is continually updated and will not be very
accurate at the beginning of the step). A way to determine when the value is a good
one for the step is to view the graph that is on the window opened by choosing Test
T00 from the View menu. As the line being plotted becomes fairly straight after
forming the “knee,” the T100 value will not change very much. This graph has to be
viewed during the Consolidation/B phase; it will not be saved when the program goes
to the Shear phase.
Example: Dense sand with a T50 equal to 20 min.
From the table, the recommended rate of strain = 0.01 %/min because the dense
sand column shows this value for a T50 of 20 min.
From the equation, έ = 2 %/(10 x 20) = 0.01 %/min because the table shows εf = 2 %
for dense sand.
*Note: The best practice when running triaxial tests is to always make
three tests on each soil type (i.e., prepare three specimens from the same
soil and run a test on each specimen). When this is done, the effective
stresses for the final step in the consolidation phase needs to be different
for the three tests. Furthermore, it is very important to use the same rate
during the shear phase for each test. The rate should be the value
determined from the t50 for the step that has the largest effective stress.
In order to do this, it is necessary to run the test with the largest final
stresses first and enter the rate on the Shear page (while the test is
running), then save the file, before the shear phase begins.

will not be saved.
VII-4. Q: How can we obtain the failure envelope after performing a series of tests
on the same soil sample?
A: If you have run a series of tests with different confining stresses and saved them
under different filenames, you can use the companion editing/reporting software,
triaxial.report.exe, to combine up to four tests and generate a failure envelope for
them. Follow the steps given below.
1. Open the companion editing/reporting program (triaxial.report.exe), bring

down the file menu and click Load to load the first test file of the series.
2. Bring down the Window list (the first loaded program will be shown after the
number 1) and click the number 2. The list will close and the TRIAXIAL:REPORT
control window will go blank.
3. Bring down the file menu and load the second test file.
4. Repeat this process for the additional (up to a total of four) test files.
After all the files have been loaded, bring down the Report menu and select
Settings. On the Report Settings window that opens, click the Stress Path Graphs tab.
If you have run undrained (CU) tests, check marks should be in the boxes next to
Effective Stress (at the top of the window), Strength Envelope and Maximum Obliquity.
If you have run drained (CD) tests, check marks should be in the boxes next to Total
Stress, Strength Envelope and Maximum Shear.
Now you can select Graph on the Report menu to view the failure envelope and a
table of test parameters.
VII-5. Q: The shear rate seems to be varying during the shear phase. I want to
make sure that the test is running according the standard. Any comments?
A: According to ASTM standard D 4767, the rate should be maintained with

deviation of less than ±1 % of the target value. (See section 5.2 below.)
“5.2 Axial Loading Device—The axial loading device shall be a screw jack driven by
an electric motor through a geared transmission, a hydraulic loading device, or any
other compression device with sufficient capacity and control to provide the rate of
axial strain (loading) prescribed in 8.4.2. The rate of advance of the loading device
shall not deviate by more than ±1 % from the selected value.”
The value shown on the Test Monitor window during the shear phase is based on
the displacement transducer. But the actual rate is produced by the micro-stepper
motor which is more accurate and precise than the displacement transducer.
Typically the displacement transducer is slightly non-linear and has a resolution of 1.2
x10-3 mm/count whereas the micro-stepper motor will run at a constant rate and has a
resolution of 5.3 x10-5 mm/step.
If both the displacement produced by the micro-stepper motor and the

displacement determined by the sensor are plotted as a function of time and the
linear correlation, R2, is determined for each, the results show that the correlation for
the micro-stepper motor plot is exactly equal to one. This confirms that the test will
run well within the standard of ±1 % of the target value.
VII-6. Q: I noticed irregularities in the excess pore water pressure curve, and I was
wondering if you have any thoughts about it?
A: Once the sample fails the additional data are meaningless and may not follow
any trend. This is why ASTM standard 8.4.2.1 specifies:
“At a minimum, record load, deformation, and pore water pressure values at
increments of 0.1 to 1% strain and, thereafter, at every 1%. Take sufficient readings
to define the stress-strain curve; hence, more frequent readings may be required in
the early stages of the test and as failure is approached. Continue the loading to 15%
strain, except loading may be stopped when the principal stress difference (deviator
stress) has dropped 20% or when 5% additional axial strain occurs after a peak in
principal stress difference (deviator stress).”
These irregularities should not happen at the beginning of a test.
VII-7. Q: While the triaxial test is running, I noticed that my strain rate is slightly
different than the one that I specified in the Shear Table. Why is that? How can I
set it up correctly?
A: If the first two columns (headed Time and Vertical Strain) on the second page of
the shear report table (opened by selecting Shear from the Table submenu on the
Report menu) are used to calculate the rate during the shear phase, the result should
agree with the specified value to within ±1 %.
The two factors that determine how close the actual strain rate is to the value
specified on the Shear Table are the displacement transducer calibration factors and
the LoadTrac-II Step Multiplier.
First check to be sure that the displacement transducer calibration factors are
correct. If there is any reason they might have changed (e.g., the transducer has not
been calibrated recently or there was some event that might have affected the
transducer functioning), go through the calibration procedure described in Appendix A.
The Load Step Multiplier (that depends on the characteristics of the load frame) is
carefully determined at the factory and is not likely to be incorrect. However, if the
calibration factors are correct and the agreement is still outside ±1 %, go through the
following steps to obtain the Load Step Multiplier value that is now needed for your
load frame.
1. Open the System Monitor window (select System from the View menu) and then
run the LoadTrac-II platen all the way down until it reaches the lower limit
switch.
2. Move the platen up until the displacement transducer reads about 20000 to
30000 counts (as seen in the left-hand text field, second from the top, on the
System Monitor window).
3. Record both the Displacement reading (in mm or in) and the Pulse Count for
the Load Motor. (Note that the Pulse Count is the motor step count.)
4. Now move the platen up until the displacement reads 40000 to 50000 counts.
5. Again record both the Displacement reading (in mm or in) and the Pulse Count.
6. Calculate the Load Step Multiplier as follows:
Load Step Multiplier = ∆ Vertical travel / ∆ Pulse count
7. Open the Hardware Setup window (select the Hardware item on the Options
menu) and replace the Load Step Multiplier value with the one you have
calculated. Then click the Apply button.
VII-8. Q: I would like to run a stress path extension test (AE), keeping the cell
pressure constant and decreasing the vertical pressure to simulate a field situation
of a foundation unloading or excavation. How do I do this?
A: To run an extension test, you will need the special hardware accessories
described in Q/A II-5 in the Hardware section. The following steps will lead you
through running the AE test.
1. Before filling the test cell with water, be sure the piston (with the threaded
nipple) has been screwed securely into the sample top cap designed for an
extension test. After filling the cell with water, be sure the piston is securely
locked.
2. Initialize the platen using the Initialize option on the LoadTrac-II Position menu
so that the platen moves to its lowest position, activates the lower limit
switch, and then moves up about 3 mm (.12 in).
3. Screw the coupler adapter onto the load cell and adjust the cross bar so that
the test cell will fit under it on the platen.
4. Bolt the Geocomp Corp.-supplied triaxial stress path cell to the platen. This
cell has two threaded holes at the bottom that align with the two non-threaded
holes in the platen. Use two ¼"-20 bolts (1½" long) to secure the cell to the
platen.
5. Be sure the two clamping screws on the adapter have been loosened by about
¼" and slowly raise the platen (using the LoadTrac-II keypad and LCD menus)
until the piston slides about ¾" into the coupler.
6. Before tightening the clamping screws, open the System Monitor window and
the Calibration Summary window. Be sure that the Load reading (in counts) on
the system Monitor window is the same as the offset value on the Calibration
Summary Window. If they are different, adjust the offset value so that it is the
same as the Load reading.
7. Make sure the piston is locked, open the Load Control window, specify a zero
load (in engineering units) and click Go. You can now tighten the clamp
without generating a ± load on the piston. Click Stop after the piston has been
clamped in place. Unlock the piston.
8. You can use the Properties Sheet to set up the initialization, saturation and
consolidation phase in whatever way you feel is appropriate for your soil
sample.
9. On the Shear Table page, use negative values for Vertical Stress and Rate. You
can run either a strain or stress controlled AE. The sample Shear Table page
shown below gives the values that should be used when strain control is used.
10. Start the test according to the instructions in Section 6.2.
VII-9. Q: We have a triaxial test running and an error message that reads: "
LoadTrac ID 65 Load reading of 65528 is out of range” popped up during the Shear
phase. Why did this show up and how do we prevent it from popping up again?
A: When you receive an error message stating, "Load reading of 65528 is out of
range," it means that the load cell sensor has maxed out. The software program has a
built-in safety feature that shuts down the test when any of the sensors is giving either
a minimum or maximum count reading which ranges from 0-65536.
One possible reason is that the piston was left locked. If that was the case, you
need to lower the platen, unlock the piston and start the test again. The other (and
more likely) possibility is that your sample strength is greater than the capacity of the
load cell. It this is the case, you will have to use a higher capacity load cell for the
type of soil that you are testing.
For the very stiff soil situation, the immediate action to take when this message
occurs is to open the System Monitor window and record the Load value (in
engineering units). Then lock the piston, lower the platen and attach a higher
capacity load cell to the cross bar. If you know the calibration factors for the new
load cell, you can enter them on the Calibration Summary window (type in the values
and click Apply). If you do not know the calibration factors, you will have to calibrate
the sensor.
What you do next depends on your estimate of how close the strain is to failure. If
you are certain that the strain is a lot less than strain at failure, you can open the
Load Control window, type in the Load value you recorded and click Go. When the
load has been applied, unlock the piston, bring down the Run menu and select Restart.
If there is reason to believe that the strain is close to the failure condition, you
should abort the test and test another sample with the higher capacity load cell.
VII-10. Q: Can I run any stress path with this system?
A: This system allows specification of all steps required to perform a triaxial stress
path test along any stress path possible in a triaxial cell (see diagram below), including
the ability to specify changes in pore pressure. We can, for example, follow the stress
path for an element in the upstream slope of a dam as pore water pressure builds up
to the steady state seepage value. In this case, the total stresses stay constant but
pore pressure is built up over time. To the best of our knowledge, our system is the
only system in the world that can do this. We include the ability to consolidate along
prescribed stress paths before and after backpressure saturation. This is important for
materials where you want to limit the amount of swell you permit during the
backpressure-saturation phase. Data can be collected at specified times, specified
displacements, or specified strains as either incremental values or specific values.
Stress Paths from Ko = 0.67 Condition

Unloading Loading
60 3
Compression
40
4 2
5 1 dewatering, consolidation
2 Ko loading
20
3 foundation loading
q, 6 1 4 pure shear
kP 5 active wall
0
a 6 pore pressure buildup
7 excavation unloading
7
8 pure shear
-20
8 9 jack reaction
-40
Extension
9
-60
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
p, kPa
VII-11. Q: In the TRIAXIAL software manual there is no mention of a UU Triaxial

test. How can we perform an Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) or Quick (Q) Triaxial
test on this equipment?
A: Below are the step by step instructions for running a UU triaxial test with the
LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system and the TRIAXIAL software.
1. Close all valves to the sample top and bottom drainage lines on the triaxial test
cell.
2. Fill out the Initialization page with the values shown below.
3. Make all entries on the consolidation/A, Saturation, and Consolidation/B pages

zero so the TRIAXIAL program will skip these phases and go directly from
Initialization to Shear.
4. On the Shear page use the set-up shown in the example below.
5. When reporting a UU test, be sure to specify Total Stress and the showing of
Mohr’s Circle at Maximum Shear. (See the example below.)
VII-12. Q: In the case where the deviator stress has not yet reached its maximum,
and the vertical strain is increasing past 15%, on the summary results page, we
would like the software to show that the strain at failure was 15%, and also show
the max deviator stress value that corresponds to when the axial strain was at
15%.
Is there a way for the software to automatically show these two values when
this condition occurs?
A: Yes, the software will automatically show the strength and draw a Mohr circle
at a specific strain level by using the option under test parameters:
VII-13. Q: In the shear report, the deviator stress graph is displayed twice. I would like
to keep only one. How can I do it?
A: From Report >Settings, go to Strain Graphs. From the Graph dropdown menu,
you can choose which Graph you want to change for the vertical axis. Then from the
Vertical Axis options below, select what you would like to be displayed on the vertical
axis.

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Triaxial

Control and Report Software for Fully

www.geocomp.com | 125 Nagog Park | Acton, MA 01720 U.S.A.

TABLE OF FIGURES ......................................................... 5

3.4.7. Consolidation/A Table Page .......................................... 59

F.2. Software..................................................................... 155

Figure 30. Options Menu .............................................................. 44

Figure 62. Membrane Stretcher with Membrane ................................. 84

Figure A 1. Force Transducer Calibration Windows ........................... 113

Figure B 1. Dump Options ........................................................... 119

GEOCOMP CORP. SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

By installing and using the enclosed software (“Geocomp Corp. Software”), or by

GRANT OF LICENSE TO USE: The Geocomp Corp. Software product that

COPYRIGHT: The Geocomp Corp. Software is owned by Geocomp Corp. or its

CUSTOMER REMEDIES: Geocomp Corp.’s entire liability and the Purchaser’s

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT

IN NO EVENT SHALL GEOCOMP CORP., OR ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES, BE LIABLE

YOU THE PURCHASER ACKNOWLEDGES THE READING OF THIS AGREEMENT AND

The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system consists of a LoadTrac-II load frame, two

The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II system requires no special skills to operate other than

SECTION 2: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

2.1. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System Hardware

The LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II hardware consists of seven parts:

Monitor (at right in Figure 1): Computer monitor.

(a) Front View

(b) Back View

2.2. LoadTrac-II/FlowTrac-II System TRIAXIAL Software

Initialization: Applies and maintains a small vertical and horizontal stress to

Consolidation/A: Consolidates specimen in steps to specified horizontal and

Saturation: Saturates specimen to a specified minimum saturation ratio by

Consolidation/B: Consolidates specimen in steps to specified horizontal and

Shear: Shears specimen, either drained or undrained, with absolute or relative

The software program can be run on any Windows-based computer. However, it

Figure 3. TRIAXIAL Control Window

SECTION 3: USE OF TRIAXIAL SOFTWARE

3.1. TRIAXIAL Installation (if not already installed)

3.1.1. System Requirements

Geocomp Corp. Software for Windows

3.1.2. Software Installation

3.2. System Startup

3.2.1. Hardware Boot

Figure 4. Front Panels LED’s Status After Initial Boot Sequence

3.2.2. Software Launch

TRIAXIAL Has Been Installed by User

TRIAXIAL Has Been Installed at Geocomp Corp.

3.3. Menu Bar

Figure 5. Menu Bar

3.3.1. File Menu

Figure 6. File Menu

*WARNING: Do NOT execute the Save command at the completion of a test

*WARNING: As indicated in the WARNING associated with the Save

*WARNING: Closing the TRIAXIAL program will not automatically save

menu-option window, neither will it generate a prompt asking if you wish

3.3.2. View Menu

Figure 7. View Menu

Figure 8. System Monitor Window

*CAUTION: Each of the four monitor windows displays real-time information

Figure 9. Load Channel Monitor Window

Displacement opens the Displacement Channel Monitor window (see Figure 10

Figure 10. Displacement Channel Monitor Window

Figure 11. Test Monitor Window for Initialization Phase

This window is displayed in real time and updated every second.

Figure 12. Test Graph Window for Consolidation Phase

Figure 13. Test T100 Window for Volume Duration Type