1st Scientific Colloquium - Large Scale Testing (Linking Research and Industry)

Session

Engineering application

Sep 14, 2026, 10:40 AM

Geb. 40.50 (Engler-Bunte Hörsaal) (KIT Campus Süd)

7. Optimisation of an excavation pit through large-scale triaxial tests on gravel Niederterrassenschotter Basel

Konrad Westermann (Gruner AG)

9/14/26, 10:40 AM

Engineering application

Engineering application

A 70 m long, 35 m wide and 22 m deep excavation pit was created in Basel for the construction of a new research tower block. The excavation pit is located in the inner city, in the middle of the industrial and research area of a pharmaceutical company with sensitive neighbouring buildings (adjacent to the tallest building in Switzerland at 205 m).

To protect against earth pressure and...

30. Bearing Capacity Assessment of Rubble Mounds Composed of Porous Rock: A Case Study Toward Practical Application

Rawiwan Sukhumkitcharoen (Port and Airport Research Institute)

9/14/26, 11:00 AM

Engineering application

Engineering application

The use of porous rock is generally not adopted in rubble mound foundations due to its higher porosity, which results in lower apparent specific gravity and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). However, in response to rising rock material costs, a rubble mound foundation at Shimizu Port, Japan, is planned to utilize materials sourced from Mount Fuji, including both dense and porous rocks. To...

10. Characterization of coarse mine waste rockfill using AI-assisted pressuremeter testing, large triaxial testing and CPTu

Rafael Martinez (Pangea Geotecnia)

9/14/26, 11:20 AM

Engineering application

Engineering application

The mining industry requires solving a wide range of geotechnical problems, many of which involve large-scale particles and coarse materials, such as heap leach piles, spent ore dumps, ROM piles, open pits, and foundation material.

Over the years, the industry has relied on large-scale laboratory testing, geophysics, and in-situ testing; however, there does not appear to be a single method...

25. Large-Scale Geotechnical Testing: Technical and Operational Challenges in the South American Mining Industry

Ms Danae Momberg (IDIEM Universidad de Chile), Mr Eduardo Fuenzalida (IDIEM Universidad de Chile)

9/14/26, 11:40 AM

Engineering application

Engineering application

The mechanical characterization of coarse granular materials represents a critical challenge in geotechnical engineering, particularly in urban infrastructure and mining projects. Since 2001, the Centro de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de Estructuras y Materiales (IDIEM) at the University of Chile has developed and implemented large-scale instrumentation, initially motivated by the...

8. Large scale testing of reinforced unbound railway base courses

Claudia Bräunig

9/14/26, 1:20 PM

Engineering application

Engineering application

Geosynthetics have become commonplace construction materials. The diverse properties of these materials enable them to fulfil a variety of functions. In the disciplines of geotechnical engineering and transport infrastructure construction, geogrids are utilised to improve soil behaviour and carry tensile forces. In the context of unbound base courses, geogrids are most frequently implemented...

35. Extrapolation limits of small-scale triaxial testing for large rockfill and waste dump

Hans Henning Stutz (KIT-IBF), Marco Arrieta (University of Oulu)

9/14/26, 1:40 PM

Engineering application

Engineering application

Conventional triaxial devices typically operate below approximately 1-2 MPa, a stress range in which coarse granular materials exhibit predominantly friction-controlled behavior. Within this domain, differences in gradation, density state, and structure often produce limited separation in shear envelopes, encouraging the use of smooth empirical extrapolations.

Large rockfill and waste dumps...