ASTM D4015 is the ASTM standard that covers measuring the shear modulus and shear damping of soils over a range of shear strain amplitudes, by torsional vibration of solid cylindrical specimens in fixed-base resonant column devices. The current edition is D4015-21.
Specimens may be intact or reconstituted, and can be tested under controlled static stress in a triaxial chamber, with other conditions such as pore water pressure, saturation or temperature controlled. At small strains the test is considered nondestructive, so one specimen can be tested under several stress states. The standard recognizes two device types, one measuring rotation at the specimen top and one measuring torque transmitted at its base. Results support soil-structure interaction and seismic response analysis of soil deposits.
Resonant column devices such as the resonant column and torsional shear tester are used for testing soils to ASTM D4015. If you need help matching ASTM D4015 requirements to your parts or setup, contact our team.
