Midwest has its own 5,000+ square foot geotechnical laboratory operated by trained laboratory technicians with over 25 years combined experience in materials testing. Midwest’s geotechnical lab is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment required to perform testing in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. Midwest laboratory performs testing on customer samples to determine the best solutions for each customer’s unique project as well as research and development testing on current and future Midwest products.
Customer Sample Testing:
Midwest’s geotechnical lab evaluates the engineering properties of site-specific soils and aggregate to determine the best solutions to achieve the desired performance and meet the project specific requirements. Because soils vary throughout the world, and the engineering properties of soils are equally variable, the key to success in soil stabilization is preliminary soils testing. Conducting preliminary low-cost laboratory testing can save thousands of dollars down the road by identifying and remediating potential issues and preventing costly premature failures.
Not only does the lab evaluate domestic customer soil samples, but Midwest’s Geotechnical Manager holds an International Soils Permit from the USDA which allows Midwest’s lab to receive and test foreign soils samples.
Research and Development Testing:
Midwest’s is continuously developing, improving, and refining its technologies to produce the best solutions on the market. As technologies are created/enhanced, laboratory testing is used to evaluate and quantify their performance attributes and provide feedback to Midwest’s Product Development department.
Importance of Laboratory Soil Testing:
- Ensures best product selection
- Determines optimum application rate and mix design
- Accurately predicts performance of materials
- Confirms that design meets all project specifications and requirements
- Verifies that there are no incompatibility, installation, or performance issues with the product, application, and site-specific material
- Provides credible, repeatable, and quantifiable proof of performance to support product claims
- Helps identify and minimize the potential for premature failures
- Evaluates and quantifies the performance of new technologies and product formulations
- Verifies the material is within proper specification per agency or engineer’s designs
Laboratory Tests:
- California Bearing Ratio (CBR) – ASTM D1883
- Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) – ASTM D2166
- Particle Size Distribution (PSD) – ASTM D6913 and ASTM C136
- Moisture Content Determination – ASTM D2216
- Atterberg Limits – ASTM D4318
- Proctor Testing – ASTM D698 and ASTM D1557
- USCS Classifications – ASTM D2487
- Topical Application Evaluations
- Dust Column Drop Test
- Wind Tunnel Testing
- Silt Load Testing
- Moisture Absorption Testing
“The very small savings enjoyed up front by skipping material testing will invariably mean higher costs later on because of early replacement of gravel and the need for more frequent maintenance.” – David Jones, Guidelines for the Selection, Specification and Application of Chemical Dust Control and stabilization Treatments on Unpaved Roads
