Civil Engineering Infrastructure Laboratory

Facilities for applied research in civil transportation systems and structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure are housed in the Civil Engineering Infrastructure Laboratory. The space is currently used in support of student projects, undergraduate research projects, and faculty-led research.

As the nations’ bridge infrastructure continues to deteriorate, novel applications of composite materials are needed to extend their life. In addition to evaluating these applications, the lab is focused on monitoring their long-term performance and durability after deployment. These labs demonstrate concepts that provide students with the opportunity to make physical connections between traditional solid mechanics computations and physical behavior in structural systems.

Demonstrations for undergraduate courses in solid mechanics and civil structures are also performed in this lab using a 60-Kip Tinius Olsen hydraulic testing machine. This machine is also used in basic civil engineering materials research.

Medium-scale specimens made in this lab space can be tested in the main Structures Lab, also located in the Lehman Building. The lab is key to the instructional and research capabilities of the Department of Civil Engineering.

Equipment

• 60-Kip Tinius Olsen Universal Testing Machine
• 200-Kip Gibson Concrete Cylinder Testing Machine
• FLIR 655sc LW Infrared Camera
• Luna Distributed Optical Fiber Strain Gage System
• 5 Computer workstations for transportation engineering research
• 4 Total Station Surveying Instruments
• Assorted equipment for land surveying