Robotic automated sample preparation (RASP) techniques for soil mechanics

One hundred years after Karl Terzaghi's groundbreaking work established soil mechanics as a scientific discipline, advancements in robotic technologies offer the possibility to transform traditional soil testing methods. Conventional soil specimen preparation, while widely accepted, is inherently prone to human bias and inaccuracies, leading to variability in test results. Automated specimen preparation techniques will emerge as a promising innovation, offering enhanced reproducibility and enabling the study of soil mechanics with unprecedented precision. These methods provide a unique future opportunity to investigate micro-mechanical and fabric-related soil behavior, which are often sensxitive to small fluctuations and challenging to analyze through conventional specimen preparation techniques. Modern robotic systems can significantly reduce the influence of human variability if applied in soil mechanical laboratories. However, this has not been done so far. Therefore, this study examines robotic-aided methods for soil mechanical testing using a conventional robotic arm, with particular focus on specimen preparation. The enhanced precision is particularly evident in the consistent attainment of homogeneous and reproducible relative densities. ... mehrA comparison between the robot and experienced laboratory staff and inexperienced students in the production of air-pluviated specimens highlights the advantage of the robotic-aided techniques. Preliminary findings highlight the transformative potential of robotic-aided techniques in advancing soil mechanics research. Beyond improving repeatability and precision, these techniques will allow systematic investigation of influencing factors of the overall soil behavior, such as particle arrangement and induced inhomogeneities. By providing a reliable foundation for studying soil fabric and micro-mechanical interactions, robotic-aided specimen preparation addresses longstanding challenges in soil mechanics and opens new avenues for research. The presented results show potential extensions for soil mechanical labs of the future.