The strength of a building lies in its foundation. Likewise, the safety of passengers on a hill highway or a hill road depends on the slope stability of the soil. Either way, the fields of Geotechnical Engineering and Foundation Engineering have an unfathomable significance in all the day-to-day construction works. The Soil Mechanics and Foundation Division in KHRI deals with the study of soil and foundations at large, focusing on field issues related to slope stability, the scope of soil nailing in unstable slopes in Kerala, and research and development on methods for improving safe bearing capacity of the soil. There is a dedicated Soil Mechanics and Foundation Laboratory in KHRI to aid research and material testing. The division is thus responsible for testing soil samples, giving remedial measures for field issues and giving technical advice on the type of foundations for various structures like roads, embankments etc.
Soil Mechanics and Foundation (SM&F) Laboratory
The Soil Mechanics and Foundation Laboratory is equipped with modern testing equipment to determine the properties of soil by both field and laboratory test procedures to analyse the behavior of soil for a particular loading condition. Various tests on soil such as determination of Specific Gravity, Particle Size Distribution, Atterberg’s Limit, Standard Proctor Compaction, CBR value, Field Density Test etc., are carried out.
