Rock & Materials Testing

RESPEC provides clients with advanced and specialized rock testing and research to support the complete characterization of a rock’s physical composition. Our testing also evaluates the mechanical, hydrological, and thermal behavior of the rock to offer clients and engineering analysts with the properties data they need to support mining engineering studies.

Our state-of-the-art Materials Testing Laboratory and facilities have more than 10,000 square feet of monitored, secure, and environmentally controlled floor space to ensure accurate data when preparing samples and testing rock. We conduct standardized testing according to the methods recommended by ASTM International, the International Society for Rock Mechanics, the International Organization for Standardization, and the American Petroleum Institute.

Our laboratory team uses sophisticated equipment that accurately simulates complex in situ stress and temperature conditions. Since 1969, our Materials Testing Laboratory has customized its testing capabilities and services to meet the unique needs of our diverse national and international clients that include government agencies, national laboratories, architectural and engineering firms, mining companies, and the oil-and-gas industries.

The laboratory also houses an environmentally controlled core-logging laboratory and a core storage facility. This space allows our geology team to clean, prepare, package, photograph, describe, and gamma-log the core in a controlled environment.

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TESTING SERVICES

  • Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) – ASTM D7012
  • Triaxial compressive strength (TCS) – ASTM D7012
  • Staged triaxial compressive strength – ASTM D7012 with deviations per ISRM suggested triaxial type II procedure
  • Constant strain rate measurement of elastic constants (CSR) – ASTM D7012
  • Brazilian indirect tensile strength (BRZ) – ASTM D3967
  • Direct tensile strength (DTS) – ASTM D2936
  • Constant mean stress dilation (CMS) – ASTM STP 1350
  • Confined creep deformation (Creep) – ASTM D7070
  • Direct shear strength – ASTM D5607
  • Point Load – ASTM D5731-16
  • Borehole compressive strength (BCS) – Procedure developed in-house
  • Uniaxial unconfined thermal expansion – ASTM D4535 Method A
  • Triaxial thermal expansion – ASTM D4535 Method B
  • Thermal conductivity, heat capacity, thermal diffusivity (hot disk test)– ISO 22007-:2015
  • Porosity, grain density, bulk volume, bulk density using a helium porosimeter – MetaRock procedure
  • Permeability using super-critical CO2, Nitrogen, or Helium – Procedure developed in-house
  • P- and S- wave ultrasonic velocity – ASTM D2845
  • X-Ray diffraction (XRD) – USGS method Report 01-041
  • X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) – ASTM E1621
  • Rock sample preparation and bulk density determination – ASTM D4543
  • Moisture content – ASTM D2216
  • Insoluble content for evaporite rock – RESPEC TP-30 modified from ASTM E534
  • Spectral gamma core logging – Procedure and calibration developed in-house

EQUIPMENT & CAPABILITIES

MTS 311.31 UT4 Universal Testing Machine
Axial Force – Up to 220,000 lbf, Temperature – 70°F to 572°F, Sample Size – Up to 4 in
MTS 312.41 UT2 Universal Testing Machine with Triaxial Vessel
Axial Force – Up to 220,000 lbf, Confining Pressure – 7,500 psi, Temperature – 70°F to 392°F, Sample Size – Up to 4 in
MTS 315.03 STS Stiff Testing Machine with Triaxial Vessel
Axial Force – Up to 1,000,000 lbf, Confining Pressure – 20,000 psi, Temperature – 70°F to 392°F, Sample Size – Up to 3.5 in
16 Static Loading Triaxial Test Frames for Long-Term Creep (Built by REPEC and INSTRON)
Axial Force – Up to 220,000 lbf, Confining Pressure – 7,500 psi, Temperature – 70°F to 392°F, Sample Size – Up to 4 in
Rock Direct Shear Testing Machine (Built by RESPEC)
Normal Force – Up to 30,000 lbf, Shear Force – 30,000 lbf, Temperature – 70°F,
Sample Size – up to 6X6X6 in
Unitherm Model 1054L Thermal Dilatometer
Temperature – Up to 572°F, Sample Size – Up to 1.5 in
Thermtest TPS 1500 Thermal Constants Analyzer
Temperature – Up to 592°F, Sample Size – Up to 6 in diameter and irregularly shaped samples
15 Hydrostatic Consolidation Chamber for Salt Healing (Built by RESPEC)
Hydrostatic Pressure – Up to 3,000 psi, Temperature – 70°F, Sample Size – Up to 4 in
MetaRock Rackmount Ultrasonic Acoustic Velocity System
P- and S-Wave Velocity Measurements, Unaxial Benchtop or During Triaxial Creep or Strength,
Sample Size – Up to 4 in
2 MetaRock Ultra Low Perm System
SSK-500
Uses Super-Critical CO2, Nitrogen, or Helium to Measure Permeability Values as Low as 5 nano-Darcy
MetaRock Helium Porosimeter
PDP- 300
Measures Porosity for Samples with Diameters of 1-inch or 1.5-inch-Diameter Samples Using Helium Gas
RS-230 BGO Super Spec Spectral Core Gamma Logger
Sample Size – Any, Core Scanning in the Field or Scanning in a Gamma Shielded Machine
MetaRock Core Spectral Gamma Logger
EST5974
Measures the Potassium, Uranium, and Thorium Concentrations and the Total Gamma Radiation in API Units
Conveyor Belt Driven with Variable Speed Drive
MTS Axial and Radial Extensometers or Conventional Strain Gage Measurement, Unconfined or Confined
Sample Size – Up to 4 in, Temperature – 70ׄ°F to 392°F
Malvern-Panalytical Empryean
X-ray diffraction for mineral characterization using a Cobalt source.
Olympus Vanta M Handheld XRF
Elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence on any size rock sample.
Humboldt Manufacturing Point Load Tester
Load – Up to 55kN with 0.001 kN Precision, Sample Size – Up to 4 inches

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Reliable Data

State-of-the-Art Equipment

Comprehensive Rock Testing

Unrivaled Experience

Reliable Data

RESPEC conducts standardized testing in accordance with ASTM, ISRM, and API standards to provide clients with the best-quality data. We develop customized test programs to simulate project-specific conditions.

State-of-the-Art Equipment

RESPEC supports advanced engineering analyses with sophisticated equipment that accurately simulates complex insitustress and temperature conditions.

Comprehensive Rock Testing

As one of the world's leading geosciences and engineering experts, RESPEC offers standardized and customized testing capabilities to our clients' unique needs.

Unrivaled Experience

With 50 years of experience in advanced rock testing and research for various rock types, RESPEC has developed industry-standard failure criteria and constitutive models for salt and potash.

Client Testimonials