Equipment for performing density, fineness, expansion, compressive strength, drying shrinkage, soundness, reactivity with alkalies, loss on ignition, and other tests is available in this facility to determine if these materials meet required standards. The lab is temperature and humidity controlled. Thermal Properties Laboratory Specific heat, diffusivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion are determined using equipment in this lab. The test equipment used to measure values for these properties was developed and custom built in the lab. The lab also has equipment to measure diffusivity and coefficient of thermal expansion on different sizes and shapes of specimens.
Thermal conductivity is calculated using the measured specific heat and diffusivity values.
F. These are standard laboratory conditions for some tests. The room is used to cure concrete specimens and for specialized testing that requires a controlled environment. Concrete creep testing, to determine concrete deformation that occurs under constant load, is performed in this facility. Loads can be automatically maintained through hydraulic oil pumps connected to an electronic pressure controller. Strain measurements can be taken manually or automatically using special strain gauges.