Soil & rocks mechanics laboratory

In dredging operations, production is clearly a result of the dredging equipment employed and the characteristics of the soil/rock to be dredged. MTI's soil laboratory is equipped with a wide variety of lab equipment. Thousands of soil samples from all parts of the world have been analysed at MTI’s laboratory leading to a large soil database. The analysis capabilities of the lab include: 

Rock samples
Determination of unconfined compression strength (UCS) and tensile strength (BTS), point load tests, shear strength, density, porosity, mineralogical composition.

Sand and gravel
Determination of grain size distribution using screens and/or a sedimentation column (an MTI development for rapid grain size distribution analysis), material abrasiveness, specific gravity, minimum and maximum density, porosity, and chemical analysis to determine the content of calcareous minerals, salt and organic materials.

Silts, clay and peat
Determination of specific gravity, density, water content, Atterberg limits (liquid limit and plastic limit) adhesion limits, viscosity and yield strength, undrained shear strength (Torvane tests), cone penetration, organic content.