DETERMINING YOUR PROJECT’S FOUNDING STRENGTHS
OUR SERVICES
We assess, investigate and test soils and construction materials so as to provide optimum solutions – an essential design component, vital for any construction project’s success.
We are SANAS accredited and all undertakings are handled in a professional manner by our well qualified staff.
ASPHALT AND BITUMEN
Soillab offers a large range of asphalt testing and also offers performance testing facilities such as the Soillab wheel tracking device as well as the Gyratory compaction devices. Soillab also extensively tests bitumen binders including the full range of tests before and after ageing of the binders as well as tests on recovered binder.
Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device measures the rutting and moisture susceptibility of an asphalt mix using either laboratory compacted briquettes by Marshall, gyratory method, using cores taken from a completed asphalt surface or laboratory compacted slabs by rolling a steel wheel across the surface which is immersed in hot water. Susceptibilities to rutting and moisture are based on the pass/fail criteria of the resultant depth. It provides a measure of durability as well as resistance to rutting.
Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) is used to characterize the viscous and elastic behaviour of asphalt binders at medium to high temperatures.
CONCRETE AND CONCRETE DURABILITY
Soillab offers the full range of concrete testing and concrete related services including concrete mix designs.
We specialise in concrete durability testing having all the necessary equipment to execute these highly sophisticated tests. Soillab also carry out tests on cement and cement related products.
FIELD SERVICES AND SITE LABORATORIES
FIELD SERVICES
Soillab offers a field-testing service consisting of several field teams conducting onsite testing and sampling such as density and DCP testing. The company furthermore provides services to carry out small to very large soil and geotechnical investigations including, sampling, profiling, testing and reporting.
DPSH:
Dynamic Probe Super Heavy is an in-situ penetrometer test used to measure the in-situ strength of fine- grained and granular subgrades. This test can probe up to a depth of 10 meters. Results from DPSH testing indicate the load-bearing capacity of soils.
SITE LABORATORIES
Soillab provides fully equipped on-site laboratory facilities for all the disciplines discussed above. The service includes well trained skilled staff from labourers and assistant material testers to senior material testers, technicians and laboratory managers. Soillab also provides a fully comprehensive quality system including regular audits on test methods and equipment for our site-based operations. A well-trained maintenance team takes care of all the equipment provided with the service.
GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES
Geotechnical laboratory testing is an integral part of all geotechnical investigations and geotechnical designs.
Quality results provide information to clients to identify and quantify problem soils and also provide engineers and geologists with soil parameters that are required for designs.
Geolab is in the enviable position of having highly skilled and qualified staff and makes use of state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology. We pride ourselves in providing high-quality results and excellent customer service.
The Geotechnical section performs the following testing:
- Triaxial Testing (38mm, 50mm, and 70mm diameter specimens. 150mm diameter on special request)
- Unconsolidated Undrained Triaxial
- Consolidated Undrained Triaxial
- Consolidated Drained Triaxial
- Triaxial Consolidation
- Triaxial Permeability
- Consolidation Testing
- Oedometer
- Double Oedometer
- Collapse Potential
- Free Swell and Swell Pressure
- Permeability Testing
- Falling Head
- Constant Head
- Triaxial Permeability
- Shearbox Test (60mm or 100mm diameter specimens)
- Bulk Density Test
- Moisture Content
- Pidgeon Lump Test
- Porosity Testing
- Specific Gravity
Large Scale Triaxial testing:
Our new large scale triaxial system can test specimens of 150mm diameter. It is the largest triaxial setup for commercial laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa.
This test is designed to study the stability of materials in rockfill or earth rock dams. It is conducted by subjecting the test specimen to different confining stresses and determining the influence of the stresses on the shear strength of the rockfill.
ROCK MECHANICS
Rocklab, the name of Soillab’s rock Mechanics division, is a division of Soillab that offers a service that conducts all rock-related testing for the mining, geotechnical and civil engineering industry, ranging from the basic tests on rock as well as highly sophisticated tests using specialized machinery and equipment.
Rocklab is one of the few laboratories in the world that can do Rock Triaxial Testing.
SOILS AND AGGREGATES
Soillab offers the full range of tests required for the Civil Engineering environment as far as soils and gravels are concerned. This includes tests on aggregate ranging from basic sieve analysis tests to more complex tests such as the durability mill index tests, as well as stabilization designs including chemical and bitumen stabilization.
Polished Stone Value (PSV): The polishing resistance or skid resistance measures the resistance of aggregates for asphalt surfacings and spray seals, paving stones and paving blocks, to the polishing action of vehicle tyres on a pavement surface. Where the surface of a road consists largely of roadstone, the state of polish will be one of the main factors affecting skidding resistance of the surface.
To determine the polishing stone value of an aggregate source, the aggregate is first subjected to accelerated polishing by a polishing machine. The state of polishing is then determined by measuring the skid resistance using a skid resistance and friction tester. The PSV test is a requirement for aggregates used in asphalt and surfacing seals according to SABITA Manual 35/TRH8.