Oil Patch Bits: PND soil lab achieves accreditation

PND Engineers Inc. said it has achieved accreditation of its Anchorage soil-material laboratory from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Accreditation Program, joining a leading group of materials-testing laboratories qualified to bid on projects that require this endorsement.

The designation indicates that specific testing procedures, equipment and quality management system standards comply with strict guidelines prescribed by AAP. PND’s QMS is also compliant with standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials.

According to PND President John Pickering, P.E., adhering to accreditation standards enhances PND’s geotechnical programs; by providing accredited services in-house, client costs are reduced. Accreditation also allows the firm to open its lab doors to agencies such as the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Federal Aviation Administration, and local, state, and regional authorities.

Clients seek out AASHTO accreditation because it demonstrates that the laboratory is capable of consistently producing quality data. Many clients require that soils work be completed in an AASHTO-accredited lab to ensure quality.

PND’s on-site soils testing facility provides soil characterization and engineering properties in support of all PND foundation and geotechnical designs. The lab performs a wide array of primary or index testing, frozen soil testing, and secondary testing. Secondary tests performed include monostatic and cyclic triaxial testing, liquefaction potential, resilient modulus, large scale 6-inch by 12-inch samples testing, and consolidation testing. Included in PND’s Soil-Material Lab is a 230-square-foot digitally controlled-temperature cold room with the ability to reach ambient temperatures down to minus 40°F/°C.