- Soil investigation in soft soils, like clay, silt and mine tailings
- Allows in-situ measurement of the peak, residual and remoulded undrained shear strength
- Electric motor drive and torque measurement are at the bottom of the rods, just above the vane, significantly improving results integrity by minimising friction
The A.P. van den Berg Icone Vane is unique in the fact that the electric motor drive and torque measurement are at the bottom of the rods, just above the vane,ย significantly improving results integrity by minimising friction. This eliminates the need for a slip joint or any other form of rod friction correction, as there is no rod friction. This is particularly important in jobs with very soft conditions where friction corrections can โswampโ the vane torque readings, making outcomes less reliable.
The Vane Shear Test (VST) equipment consists of a four-blade, stainless steel vane attached to a steel rod that will be pushed into the ground. The Icone Vane can be supplied with several blades sizes. The blade size is generally selected depending on the anticipated peak undrained shear strength at the target depth. To prevent damage, the drive motor and torque assembly are preconfigured to apply a maximum torque.
The computer controlled harmonic drive system on the torque motor allows the rotation rate for testing to be selected within the range of each of the three models.
- Icone Vane Slow – adjustable rotation speed of 0.1 to 6ยฐ per second for very accurate shear tests
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- Max torque 100Nm
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- Icone Vane Fast – adjustable rotation speed of 0.2 to 12ยฐ per second for fast remoulding of the soil in situations with a low shear value.
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- Max torque 100Nm
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- Icone Vane HS (High speed) – in soft mine tailings, an adjustable rotation speed of 1 to 60ยฐ per second can provide sufficient reactive force/torque and therefore improved determination of the drained and undrained shear strength, resulting in more reliable stability analyses of mine tailings.
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- For example, 1 degree per sec in slow, until the ground has sheared. Then fast 60 degrees per sec – remoulding speed.
- Stirring 10x faster gives more reaction force which provides more information about thick water viscosity, soft sediments are detected, and itโs beneficial in production time as well.
- Suited to VERY soft sediments
- Max torque 30Nm
For example, with the slow model, a rotation speed of 0.1 degrees/second is used to measure the peak undrained shear strength e.g. in clays and a higher rate, of up to 6 degrees/second, is used for remoulding followed by measuring the residual undrained shear strength at the lower rotation speed.
The Icone Vane is also available in protected or unprotected formats:
- unprotected is suited for pre drilled holes or soft material
- protected protects the vane from damage during pushing using a protection shoe. It is suited to pushing through stiffer materials, like embankments. The protected format increases the rate of production as it allows completion of various electrical vane shear tests (EVSTโs) at different depths and eliminates drill outs and pulling out the equipment assembly between tests.
The unprotected format Icone Vane uses standard 36mm CPT rods to push the vane down.
The protected Icone Vane uses standard 36mm CPT rods to hold the vane and 56mm casing tubes are used to hold the protection shoe.
Once the desired depth is reached, the vane blades are advanced and testing can begin.
Cone Penetration Test (CPT) Sales, Calibration, Service and Spare Parts
Insitutek are proud to representย A.P. van den Bergย Cone Penetration Test (CPT) equipment in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Our CPT product range coversย CPT rigs and pushers, data acquisition systems, click on plug in and play modules for down hole Electrical Shear Vane Testing (EVST), Seismic CPT (SCPT), Conductivity and Magneto and MOSTAP soil sampling.ย We provide a high level of client support, from technical pre-sale consultations and supply of equipment to commissioning, user training, after-sale technical support,ย servicing, repairs, and calibrations. Our service centre is also well stocked with spare parts and consumables.
To find out more,ย Contact Us.
