Science Tokyo Mark III Geotechnical Centrifuge

Geotechnical centrifuge modeling is a technique for physically testing scaled models of geotechnical engineering systems.  A scaled model is prepared in a laboratory and is loaded on the geotechnical centrifuge.  As the centrifuge spins, a high-gravity field is generated by centrifugal force, typically 50-100 times Earth's gravity.  The stress field in the model on the centrifuge is similar to that of the prototype, with the same magnitude.  Since the mechanical behaviour of soils is stress-dependent, physical model tests on a geotechnical centrifuge can realistically simulate the behaviour of geotechnical engineering systems.  

Physical modelling using a geotechnical centrifuge at Tokyo Institute of Technology started in 1968.  It was the second centrifuge in Japan after the one at Osaka City University in 1965.  The first beam-type centrifuge, with a radius of 1.4 m, was installed in 1970 (Mark I) and was mainly used for bearing capacity testing.  The second centrifuge (Mark II), installed in 1981, was used for various geotechnical problems, including tests with an in-flight sand hopper, an excavator, and shake tables.  

The third one (Mark III) has been in active use since 1994.  Its relatively large bucket enables us to accommodate a wide range of testing equipment and systems, thereby facilitating the solution of various geotechnical and environmental problems under diverse conditions.  This centrifuge was relocated to the current Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Building (West Building No. 6) in 2023.