Griggs solid-medium piston-cylinder apparatus

Triaxial (conventional)

Texas A&M Handin lab 358

Griggs Rig

This Griggs triaxial piston-cylinder apparatus can deform 5 mm diameter by 10 mm length single crystal and rock samples in conventional triaxial compression at confining pressures from 500 to 1500 MPa, temperatures from 500 to 950 °C, and strain rates from 10-4 to 10-7 s-1. Temperature and stress resolution of experiments depend on sample assembly materials and design. Calibrations are available for solid and molten salt assemblies, based on comparisons with triaxial gas apparatus results for uniform commercial metal standards, for stress resolutions of +/-30 MPa (using the solid salt assembly) and +/-10 MPa (using the molten salt assembly). Silicate melt assemblies are in development to achieve higher temperatures and low-reactivity chemical sample assembly environments.

Loading; Unloading; Heating; High Temperature; High Pressure; Ultra-High Pressure; Elasticity; Elastic Moduli; Yield Strength; Failure Strength; Strength; Creep; Triaxial Stress/Strain; Differential Stress