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Asphalt/Pavement Lab (Dr. Romanoschi)
The
Asphalt/Pavements Laboratory is a combined space for teaching and
research. Laboratory sessions for the Civil Engineering Materials
undergraduate course will be conducted here, as well as for two new
graduate-level courses in pavement engineering. Students will have the
opportunity to learn hands-on the most advanced testing methodologies
for the characterization of civil engineering materials; such as
concrete, asphalt, steel, and timber.
The approximately 3,000-square-foot research area contains the
following equipment, which will be utilized in research projects on the
design and characterization of pavement materials and structures: Pine
Superpave
and Texas Gyratory Compactors, a Brohlin DSR II-A and Brookfield
Rotational
Viscometer RVDV-II+, a Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device, a Cox Rolling
Thin Film
Oven, a Los Angeles Abrasion machine and MicroDeval apparatus, specific
gravity benches, scales, two large ovens, a floor mixer and other
miscellaneous lab equipment. A state-of-the-art multimedia environment
also will be available in the lab.
Concrete Curing Room (Dr. Matthys)
The concrete curing room provides an area to properly produce concrete specimens for the laboratory studies and research testing of undergraduate materials. All aspects of concrete potentially can be studied - materials application to construction issues to structural uses. Abrasion resistance, water permeability, hardness, freeze-thaw, workability, finishability, load capacity, etc. fall under these areas of interest.
Construction Engineering Lab (Dr. Najafi)
Center for Underground
Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE) Research
and Development Facility (www.cuire.org)
Computer Lab
The computer lab will contain more than 20 workstations, each supported by state-of-the-art specialty construction software for construction cost estimating, construction planning and scheduling, modeling, the simulation of construction operations, and other construction management-related activities.
Physical Testing Lab
The Physical Testing Lab will be used for research and development in the area of underground infrastructure (freshwater and wastewater pipes, electrical and communications conduits, oil and gas pipelines, etc.) and transportation systems (passenger and freight conveyances, capsule pipelines, tubes/tunnels). Specialized equipment will include boring and jacking machines, and tracking and navigational tools.
Experimental Stress Analysis Lab (Dr. Ramirez)
This
is a teaching laboratory for instruction in how to design, measure and
analyze data from material testing. Students will receive hands-on
instruction on the process of placing and recording instrumentation
developed for the measurement of deformation in materials, using
equipment and sensors used in most of the testing laboratories in the
US. A key part of their learning process includes applying knowledge
and tools from the laboratory experience to a real engineering problem.
These data acquisition systems are capable of simultaneously
recording data from three or more individual sources that will be
available for larger specimen testing. The computer numerical (CNC)
machine in this lab is capable of precision control in four axes for
the latest in 3-D specimen machining for testing by the students. This
will allow the students to design their specimens without constraints
or experience, since a computer program can turn any 3-D drawing into a
real-life specimen made from any basic material, and will give them
freedom to explore new ideas and allow them to concentrate in the
concepts, not the mechanics of molding.
The Experimental Stress Analysis Laboratory also will house the
Nondestructive
Evaluation Laboratory, where ultrasonic inspection, infrared imaging,
acoustic emission, impact echo and vibration equipment will be
available for instruction.
Geomechanics Research Lab (Dr. Hoyos)
This
state-of-the-art facility will facilitate the early exposure of civil
engineering graduates to basic and advanced concepts of soil mechanics
and its applicability in the analysis/design of geotechnical
infrastructure.
The lab will house an array of instruments and
devices for advanced testing of unsaturated and expansive soils under
simulated foundation, traffic and earthquake loads. A resonant column
device, including a dynamic signal analyzer, will be available for
measuring dynamic properties of soils. One triaxial setup, with
self-contained piezoceramic bender elements, will be available for
measuring stiffness properties of soils.
A complete set of
tensiometers, psychrometers, and pressure plate extractor devices will
also be available for measuring suction potential and water-retention
properties of unsaturated soils. A servo-controlled, true triaxial
device has recently been installed to test cubical specimens of
unsaturated soils under controlled pore-water pressures. A
state-of-the-art, ring shear testing device is also being installed to
study unsaturated soil response under large deformations.
Geosystems Research Lab (Dr. Hossain)
The
Geosystem Research Laboratory will be utilized primarily for Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW) research. Physical and engineering characteristics of
municipal solid waste will be determined by both graduate and
undergraduate student as part of "Geotechnical Aspects of Landfill
Design" course.
Research projects are expected to include determining engineering characteristics
of MSW in traditional and bioreactor landfills, determining landfill
gas potential of MSW in laboratory scale and in controlled conditions,
understanding the behavior of MSW in landfills under different
operational management practices, and comparing resistivity of soil and
solid waste materials with field and laboratory measurements.
To
accomplish these tasks, the laboratory will house gas chroma-tography,
high-pressure liquid chromatography, consolidation cells (8-inch and
12-inch diameters), a direct shear box (12-inch by 12-inch x 12-inch),
pH meters, a gas pump, and high resolution resistivity equipment. The
facility will also have a 5' x 10' x 5' test pit.
Masonry Lab (Dr. Matthys)
UT Arlington is one of a few universities to offer a graduate course in masonry. The Masonry Lab will be both a research lab and classroom, where students and researchers will conduct standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) tests on masonry products, research masonry issues in the existing masonry library and attend graduate class in masonry structures.
Small Specimen Testing Lab (Dr. Matthys)
This room will house the equipment to test small specimens such as concrete cylinders, small pieces of steel, plastics and wood. Such testing is typically controlled by ASTM specifications for testing machine requirements and specimen size and conditions.
Structures Lab (Dr. Abolmaali)
This 1,200 square-foot
teaching and research facility will be four
times larger than the previous lab at the Engineering Laboratory
Building, and will be used to conduct static and dynamic tests on much
larger
structural components and systems than previously possible,
particularly reinforced concrete, masonry, timber and steel structures.
Bridge components using new and conventional materials will also be
tested.
The
laboratory will be capable of simulating the effects of earthquake,
blast and wind forces on the performance of structures. Students will
be fabricating and testing structural components and be able to
relate hands-on laboratory testing with theoretical classroom material
for a comprehensive educational experience. Research results also have
the potential of being employed in national building and bridge design
codes.
