Inventors:
Malcolm Mellor - Hanover NH
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army - Washington DC
International Classification:
G01N 300
Abstract:
A triaxial compression test apparatus includes a cylindrically-shaped sample disposed in a fixed-hydraulic cylinder with the sample's ends disposed between a first piston and the fixed cylinder's base. An annular space for hydraulic fluid surrounds the remaining surface of the sample. The first piston, located in the fixed cylinder, includes a rod mechanically coupled to the housing of a floating hydraulic cylinder housing a second piston therein. A single force applied to the second piston, 1. transmits a first force, via the first piston, along the longitudinal axis of the sample and 2. transmits a second force along the axial axes of the sample via a hydraulic fluid coupled from the floating cylinder to the annular space of the fixed cylinder. A constant ratio is maintained between the two forces.