Our rock testing services assess rock strength, durability, and deformation to support engineering decisions for foundations, slopes, excavations, and underground structures.
Rock testing measures the strength, durability and deformation behavior of rock samples, usually cores taken from the site. Characterization means describing the rock with numbers rather than by eye, so that engineers can design with measured values instead of judgment alone.
Rock strength and stiffness control how foundations, slopes, excavations and underground structures behave. The tests below are what fall under it.
Uniaxial compressive strength is the load an intact rock core can carry, with no confinement, before it fails. It is the most widely used rock strength value, and it is used to classify rock and to support the design of foundations on rock.
Triaxial tests load a rock core while fluid pressure confines its sides, which imitates the pressure of the surrounding rock underground. Running several tests at different confining pressures gives the strength envelope of the rock, which is used in the design of excavations, tunnels and deep foundations.
The point load test is a fast, portable way to estimate rock strength. A piece of rock is squeezed between two conical points until it splits, and the load is converted to a strength index. It is often used to screen many samples, or where preparing cores for a UCS test is not practical.
The Brazilian test measures tensile strength indirectly. A disc of rock is compressed across its diameter until it splits. Rock is far weaker in tension than in compression, so this value matters when judging how rock will crack or break.
Slake durability testing shows how quickly a rock breaks down when it goes through cycles of wetting and drying. Pieces are rotated in a drum partly submerged in water, and the fraction that remains intact is the durability index. It is especially important for shales and other weak rocks used in slopes, cuts and fills.
Porosity is the share of a rock's volume that is empty pore space, and absorption is how much water the rock takes up. These properties affect strength and durability, and they influence how the rock reacts to freezing and weathering.
Rock masses often fail along joints and fractures rather than through solid rock. This test shears a sample along a joint under a controlled load to measure the shear strength of that surface, which is critical for slope stability and for checking foundations against sliding.
This test measures how stiff the rock is, through its modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio, by recording how a core deforms as it is loaded. The results are used to predict how much a rock foundation or an excavation will move under load.
Methods shown are the governing ASTM / AASHTO standards. If your project specifies a different standard or a state DOT method, tell us and we'll confirm.
Share the tests you need, the specifications that apply, and your timeline.
We review the requirements with you and confirm the tests, standards and sample needs.
Your samples are tested in our Norcross, Georgia laboratory.
Reports can be ready in as little as 48 hours, depending on the test.
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