An excavation experiment using a mini hydraulic excavator aiming to ground strength estimation was conducted.

Aiming to ground strength estimation, a ground excavation experiment using a mini hydraulic excavator was conducted at the Sanbongi field in Osaki city owned by Sato Komuten Co., Ltd. In this experiment, decomposed granite soil was used to create several types of unsaturated soil with varying ground strength, and saturated soil was also created. In the experiment, pressure gauges were attached to the boom, arm and bucket cylinder of the excavator to measure the change in hydraulic pressure during excavation. The photos show the excavation of unsaturated ground, the creation of saturated ground, and the excavation of saturated ground. Differences in ground fracture patterns due to excavation were observed between unsaturated ground and saturated ground.