Facilities

The civil engineering facilities at the University of Colorado Boulder include instructional- and research-oriented laboratories with advanced engineering software available for geotechnical-related projects.

The Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing facility consists of several laboratories used for instructional purposes, characterization of the fundamental mechanical, hydraulic, and thermal properties of soils on an element scale, and centrifuge-scale modeling of the performance of geotechnical systems (slopes, retaining walls, foundations, levees, dams, etc.).

Our Geotechnical Engineering and Geomechanics facility includes three centrifuges used for research, industry design, and instructional purposes. The largest of these is a 400 g-ton Wyle centrifuge, capable of accelerating an 1815 kg payload to a maximum of 200 g in 14 minutes. The 6 m radius of the centrifuge arm permits an essentially uniform g-level to be applied to the full height of the centrifuge model. The swinging-basket type centrifuge platform can support a container footprint of 1.2 m by 1.2 m. This platform can accommodate payloads with a height of 0.91 m, with a maximum headroom of 1.35 m for offset actuators and loading devices.