Geotechnical Testing for Dams, Levees, and Impoundments
   Design and construction of safe water retention structures is one of the most demanding applications of geotechnical engineering and geotechnical testing. These are inherently dynamic structures that must withstand dramatic short-term changes in operating loads during floods while, at the same time, successfully resist long-term effects of internal and foundation seepage.
Testing programs for these structures are typically intensive and must be of high quality for the project to be successful. Design and execution of special testing programs to model site or material conditions is common, and laboratory programs are frequently coordinated with large-scale field tests to verify performance of variable materials.
Representative testing activities:
- Sieve Analysis
- Hydrometer Analysis
- Atterberg Limits
- Soil Classification
- Laboratory Compaction
- Triaxial and Direct Shear Strength
- Triaxial Permeability
- Constant Head Permeability
- Packer Test Permeability
- Unconfined Compressive Strength
- Consolidation
- No-erosion and Continuing-erosion Filter Tests
- Dispersion Test
- Slake Durability
- Point-load Tests
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