Hardware and software include high-powered PC, digital camera systems, scanners, and image processing software. Its applications are broad to blasting, crushing, grinding, material handling, pelletizing systems, optimizations, and others whenever particle size distribution is desirable. This is a basic laboratory for introductory and advanced rock mechanics classes, and for graduate students doing research in any geotechnical field. This is also an essential lab for stress distribution around geotechnical structures and their design criteria, static and dynamic stress distributions for special projects, and geotechnical field instrumentation, as well as research for experimental structural analysis and field monitoring. Research applications include physical modeling and structural analysis for mining structures.
Equipment includes a tele-reflection polariscope, a model maker, and camera equipment.