Erosion Control Testing Facility at the Denver Downs Research Farm (DDRF)

TRI has launched the development of a large-scale erosion and sediment control testing facility in the upstate of South Carolina thru an agreement with the Denver Downs Research Farm (DDRF). TRI’s Southeast Area Office in Greenville, SC will manage the large-scale research and testing facility. DDRF is a 300+ acre former dairy farm that has been used for large-scale research associated with geosynthetics and erosion control materials. The research farm affords plentiful access to various sloping terrain and water from two ponds. Additionally, DDRF has numerous unused structures which are available to house covered research and testing and for material and equipment storage. Earthmoving equipment is also readily available.
DDRF is located just a mile off Interstate 85 about 25 miles southeast of Greenville, in Anderson County, SC. A large selection of hotels and restaurants are available within 1 mile of the site. The facility is expected to be operational during the first quarter of 2006.
Summary of Facilities –
The full-scale erosion control testing facility will initially focus on the following erosion control performance tests:
ASTM D 6459: Full-Scale Simulated Rainfall on 3:1 Slope with bare and RECP-protected soil*
” Rainfall Intensities = 50, 100, 150 mm/hr @ 20 minutes each;
” 1 control + 3 replicate slopes;
” Inclined (3:1) slope, 40-ft long and 8-ft wide;
” 18-inch compacted soil veneer;
” Simulated rain system with 14-ft drop height & up to 6 inches/hr capacity;
ASTM D 6460: Full-Scale Channel Flow with RECP-protected soil*
” Shear Levels = 1, 2, 3, 4 psf @ 30 minutes each;
” 3 replicate channels;
” Trapezoidal cross-section with 5% slope;
” Trapezoidal cross-section has 2-ft bottom and 2H:1V side-slopes;
” 18-inch compacted soil veneer;
” 80-ft total length: 20-ft upper transition zone + 40-ft test zone + 20-ft downstream;
” Flow capacity up to 30cfs for 30 minutes = 54000 ft3 = 13,500 gpm. For more information on this new facility, please contact Joel Sprague at the “continued” link below.