Laboratory Testing of Soils, Rocks and Aggregates

Testing rocks and aggregates are rarely covered in soil testing books and there are no separate books on rock or aggregate testing. Laboratory Testing of Soils, Rocks and Aggregates includes laboratory testing methods for most tests for soils as well as rocks and aggregates, which are becoming increasingly common in professional practice and university teaching. Part A gives a general overview of laboratory measurements, equipment, units, safety and standards. Part B covers soil tests from grain size distribution to consolidation, triaxial and direct shear tests. Part C covers rock tests, which includes the indirect tensile strength test and point load test. Part D covers the common tests carried out routinely on aggregates, which includes the aggregate impact value test and Los Angeles abrasion test. Each test consists of the following descriptive parts: Objective, Standards, Introduction, Procedure, and Cost. References are made to ASTM International (ASTM), Australian (AS), British (BS) and International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM) standards and any differences are noted.

Dr Nagaratnam Sivakugan is an associate professor and the head of Civil & Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. He is a co-author of Geotechnical Engineering: A Practical Problem Solving Approach, a popular textbook adopted by many universities worldwide. He graduated from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, with first class honors and received his MSCE and PhD from Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. As a chartered professional engineer and registered professional engineer of Queensland, he does substantial consulting work, including extensive laboratory and in situ tests for geotechnical and mining companies throughout Australia as well as internationally. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia. Dr. Sivakugan has supervised eight PhDs to completion and has published 65 scientific and technical papers in refereed international journals, 65 more in refereed international conference proceedings, and six book chapters. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and is an active reviewer for more than 10 international journals. He developed a suite of geotechnical PowerPoint slideshows that is being used worldwide as an effective teaching and learning tool.

Dr A. Arulrajah is an associate professor in geotechnical engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. He completed his BSc in civil engineering at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, in 1992; MEngSc at the University of Malaya, Malaysia, in 2003 and PhD from Curtin University, Australia, in 2005. Dr. Arulrajah is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, and a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia. Prior to his first academic appointment in 2006, he worked for 14 years for various engineering consultants in Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Dr. Arulrajah was the first author of a journal paper on ground improvement that won the Telford Premium Prize (2009) from the Institution of Civil Engineers, United Kingdom. He is also the recipient of the Shamsher Prakash prize for excellence in the practice of geotechnical engineering (2010) and the recipient of three Swinburne University Vice-Chancellor Awards. He is the author of nearly 40 scientific and technical papers in refereed international journals and 40 more in refereed international conference proceedings. He has supervised three PhD candidates to completion in these areas of research. He is an editorial board member of the International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering and is an active reviewer for several international journals.

Dr Myint Win Bo (BO Myint Win) is a senior principal/director (Geo-Services) at DST Consulting Engineers, Canada. He graduated with a BSc (geology) from the University of Rangoon and received a postgraduate diploma in hydrogeology from University College, London and an M.Sc degree from the University of London. He obtained his PhD in civil engineering (specializing in geotechnics) from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK. He is also a professional engineer, professional geoscientist, international professional engineer, United Kingdom, and a chartered geologist, scientist, engineer, environmentalist, European geologist, and European engineer. Dr. Bo is also serving in several national and international professional societies as a committee member. Dr. Bo is an experienced practicing engineer as well as educator, and he has been giving several special lectures and workshops at international conferences, tertiary institutions, and professional associations. Additionally, Dr. Bo is an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and Lakehead University in Canada as well as adjunct professor at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.