15 g-ton Centrifuge
The 15 g-ton centrifuge is CIEST’s medium-scale workhorse, bridging our instructional centrifuge and the 400 g-ton flagship. Operational since 1981, it is a Genisco 1230-5 accelerator modified for geotechnical applications, with a symmetrical dual swing-basket arm constructed from aluminum sections so that either two identical models or a model and counterweight can be flown at the same time.
The machine will accelerate a 300 lb (136 kg) payload with usable dimensions of 18 × 17.5 × 23 in. (45.7 × 44.5 × 58.4 cm) up to 100 g. A 25 hp (18.6 kW) electric motor with a toothed-belt drive provides smooth, programmable g-versus-time profiles, and modern closed-loop control ensures stable speed regulation that is insensitive to line-voltage fluctuations. This combination makes the 15 g-ton centrifuge ideal for high-throughput, component- and subsystem-level tests and rapid parametric studies, where many configurations or loading conditions must be explored efficiently before up-selecting cases for more elaborate 400 g-ton campaigns.
The 15 g-ton centrifuge has been used to investigate the performance of retaining structures and slopes, seepage and contaminant transport problems, offshore foundation systems, geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls, axially and laterally loaded foundations, and buried pipelines.
Like the large centrifuge, the 15 g-ton system is supported by CIEST’s shared container inventory (rigid and windowed boxes, reinforced soil boxes, and specialized containers for walls, footings, and pipelines) and by a flexible data acquisition and imaging setup. This makes it an efficient platform both for exploratory research and graduate training in centrifuge modelling, and for industry-focused studies that require rapid turn-around of well-instrumented physical models without the higher cost and complexity of the 400 g-ton facility.