Consolidometers

Durham Geo offers both the pneumatic loading consolidometer (S-450 Terraload) and the lever type consolidometer (S-449 dead weight Load Frame). The following may help in choosing between a pneumatic or lever type consolidation frame:

The S-450 Terraload Pneumatic Consolidation Device

• requires less space in the lab than a dead weight device.
• has a lesser chance of being bumped compared to the lever type.
• is easier to operate when it comes to adding loads to the sample. Operators tend to prefer turning a valve rather than carefully adding a weight by hand. The weight on the dead weight device can be added too fast or too slow and affect results. The weight works fine, but takes some operator experience.
• requires a source of compressed air. This is an additional expense. There is also a chance that the power will fail, thus a chance of “loosing the sample”. The lever type requires no external source of air, and is independent of electrical power or air compressor failures.

The S-449 Dead Weight Consolidation Load Frame

• is considered to be more accurate than the pneumatic frame at very low loads.
• slightly less costly to set up, but the pneumatic frame costs less when multiple units are purchased. This is because one S-45040 Digital Readout and pressure transducer can be used with multiple S-450 units.

Consolidation Set (Part Nr)		Consolidometer Type			Deflection Measurement			Load Display or Dead Wt Set
		Fixed	Floating		Dial	LTD
S-45001								S-45040
S-45002								S-45040
S-45003								S-45040
S-45004								S-45040
S-49201								Dial Indicator
S-49202								Dial Indicator
S-49203								Dial Indicator
S-49204								Dial Indicator

Applicable Standards

ASTM: D 2435 D 4546
AASHTO: T-216