The resistance of rock to surface abrasion and degradation under wetting and drying cycles is a critical parameter for tunnelling, mining, and geotechnical engineering projects — directly influencing the wear rates of drilling and excavation equipment, and the long-term stability of rock slopes and embankments. Western Geotechnical Laboratory Services (WGLS) provides accredited rock abrasion and durability testing to ASTM and Australian Standards, including Cerchar Abrasion Index testing (ASTM D7625) — which quantifies the abrasivity of rock against steel and is widely used in tunnel boring machine (TBM) performance prediction and drill bit wear assessment — and Slake Durability testing (AS 4133.3.4), which measures the resistance of rock to breakdown under repeated cycles of wetting and drying. Together these tests give geotechnical engineers, tunnel designers, and mining engineers the data needed to select appropriate excavation methods and assess long-term rock mass behaviour from our NATA-accredited laboratory in Welshpool, Perth.
