Experimental Geophysics

Research infrastructure

5000 kN servo-hydraulic press frame

5000 kN hydraulic press

Multipurpose hydraulic press suitable for uniaxial and conventional triaxial deformation tests, room temperature permeametry, etc.

Specifications:
Servo-hydraulically controlled axial load, confining pressure, and pore pressure.
Confining medium: oil.
Maximum confining pressure: 200 MPa.
Axially mounted pair of ultrasonic transducers (active and passive mode, 1 MHz central frequency).
ASC "Milne" multi-channel system for active and passive, P- & S-wave velocity measurements (uncofined samples only).

Specimen size:
unconfined: variable
confined: 30 mm maximum diameter; 75 mm maximum length

NEW! The hydraulic press in action: indentation experiment.

References:
Ahrens et al. 2018
Duda & Renner 2013
Schepp & Renner 2021 (room temperature permeameter)

 

Griggs and synthesis apparatus

Standard piston cylinder apparatus

19 mm internal bore. NaCl pressure transmitting medium. Maximum pressure: 4 GPa. Maximum temperature: 1200 oC.

Reference: Renner et al. 1997

Griggs apparatus

4 GPa confining pressure via a servo-controlled hydraulic system. Maximum temperature: 1200 oC. Tungsten-carbide core.

Vessels:

  1. 3.5 GPa 4-ring vessel
  2. 4.0 GPa stripwound dual block vessel.

Reference: Rybacki et al. 1998

 

Confined three-point bending test vessel

Confined three-point-bending test apparatus

Confining medium: oil. Specimen size: 30 mm (diameter) x 120 mm (length).

Reference: Yang et al. 2021

 

Multi-permeameter

Elevated P & T permeameters

Effective pressure up to 60 MPa. Temperature range: room to 200 oC. Maximum specimen size: 30 mm (diameter) x 75 mm (length).

Reference: Hernández Castañeda (2022) PhD thesis

 

Argon gas pycnometer

Argon-gas pycnometer

Maximum specimen size: 40 mm (diameter) x 82 mm (height). Typical (absolute) pressure: 300 kPa.

 

laboratory ultrasound

Ultrasound equipment

Ultrasonic velocities (vp and vs) can be determined using the equipment below:

  1. Panametrics Epoch 4B ultrasound source
  2. TiePie HS6 4-channel USB oscilloscope
  3. Panametrics P- and S-wave transducers (1 MHz: V192, V153; 3.5 MHz: V182; 10 MHz: V111)
  4. Support frames for plugs (up to 150 mm in length) and drilled cores

 

Miscellanea

  1. Solartron SI1260 impedance analyzer, 1296 dielectric interface
  2. XE-100 Advanced scanning probe microscope

 

Field equipment

Our laboratory also owns and operates the following devices for field measurements:

  1. GeoTom multi-electrode system (electrical resistivity)
  2. Ground-penetrating radar
  3. Hydraulic pumping test equipment