Materials Testing

HWA maintains a full service soil and construction materials testing laboratory.  We test soils, Asphaltic and Portland cement concrete, aggregates, geotextiles and additional materials in support of site evaluation, structural design, and construction quality control. The laboratory is accredited by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) R18 and holds a second accreditation from American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). We participate in eight different performance assessment sample programs for soils, asphalt and concrete through AMRL and CCRL. Individuals on the laboratory staff hold several certifications from ACI and NICET.

Our primary testing lab generally conducts testing in support of soils characterization and field testing and inspection while the secondary testing lab conducts those tests mostly associated with geotechnical design.

Typical primary testing services include:

• Sieve and Hydrometer Analysis
• Moisture Content
• Density
• Proctor tests
• Atterberg Limits
• Sand Equivalent
• Specific Gravity and Absorption
• Bitumen Extraction and Aggregate Gradation
• Rice Density
• Compression Testing

Secondary testing specialties are comprised of:

• Direct Shear
• Triaxial Strength Testing (UU, CU, Cyclic, K₀ Consolidation)
• Resilient Modulus (M_R)
• Consolidation, both Incremental and Constant Rate of Strain
• Hydraulic Conductivity and Infiltration