| Our study involved the development and testing of an insitu rock shear testing device. Foreseeable problems associated with the rock formation led to the development of a second device designed specifically to provide data on the irregularities, caverns and voids anticipated within the test holes.; The process of development was dynamic and extensive laboratory tests were performed on simulated rock samples (Gator rock) to arrive at the present prototype designs. The prototypes were built and tested in the laboratory and showed encouraging results however preliminary field tests exposed minor problems with the instrumentation and mechanical problems. The required adjustments to the designs were made and the devices have been field tested at the Fuller Warren Bridge in Jacksonville. The success of the program was evaluated based on the following criteria: (1) The efficiency of the equipment in regards to their ease of operation, limitations and possible areas for future development. (2) The validity of the results, based on the equipment designs and accuracy of the measuring instruments' acceptable margins of errors. (3) The validity of the results based on theoretical assumptions made versus empirical data whether in the field or in the laboratory. |
