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Pavement Mechanics and Materials Laboratory (PMML)

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Pavement Mechanics and Materials Laboratory has developed into an all encompassing laboratory equipped to perform a full range of tasks including the casting, curing and testing of everything from concrete specimens to full-scale pavements. The 2700 ft² facility features the latest equipment in both destructive and non-destructive testing of portland cement concrete. Housed within the lab are two environmentally controlled rooms. The 1007 ft³ room can be adjusted to replicate a wide range of environmental conditions for curing portland cement concrete test specimens while the 630 ft³ room is maintained at a constant temperature and humidity for determining the drying-shrinkage properties of concrete in accordance with ASTM-157. The laboratory is equipped with everything needed for measuring basic aggregate properties such as the gradation, absorption capacity and specific gravity, as well as, more detailed characterizations such as determining wear resistance using the Los Angeles abrasion machine or running a micro-deval test. A 5.5 ft² concrete mixer and all other necessary tools for casting concrete specimens are available, as well as, equipment for measuring the properties of fresh concrete. The laboratory is equipped to test the more basic properties of hardened concrete, such as, strength, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio along with the more elaborate testing equipment needed for measuring such things as the dynamic modulus, thermal coefficient of expansion, fracture toughness of concrete and the surface texture of fractured slabs using a lazer profiler and a linear traverse equipment. Some of the sample preparation equipment available in the laboratory includes a concrete saw, core machine and a fume hood for sulfur capping. The laboratory houses a Baldwin compression machine that can be used to apply loads up to 200,000 lbs and a Test Mark compression machine with a capacity of 400,000 lbs. A multitude of tests can also be performed using the MTS TestStar Controller. The controller can be used for performing dynamic testing using a closed-loop servo hydraulic test machine. This system can be fed by either a 10 gpm or 60 gpm hydraulic pump. List of some of the equipment available in the PMML is provided below.

Equipment for Testing Concrete Specimens and Large Scale Pavement Sections/Structural Members

The following research equipment is available in the structures and pavement research laboratories.

Testing Machines

200 kip Baldwin universal testing machine with new Satec controller

20 kip MTS Universal testing machine with hydraulic grips

400 kip Test Mark testing machine with attachments for measuring split tensile, flexural and compressive strength

Pumps

60 GPM Edison hydraulic power unit with a Sauer-Sundstrand pump

60 GPM Shore-Western hydraulic power unit

10 GPM MTS hydraulic power unit

Controllers

Test Star IIm 7-axis controller

MP2000 2-channel controller box for linear variable deflection transducers

MTS 458 controller with micro-profiler and 3 load-control cards

MTS 442 controller with function generators

Data Aquisition

90 Channel Vishay-Micro Measurements System 5000 Compression machine

40 Channel CR10X Campbel Scientific datalogger

24 Channel CR7 Campbel Scientific datalogger

Actuators

2 - 250 kip MTS fatigue rated actuators with 60 GPM Moog servo-valves

3 - 250 kip actuators with 60 GPM Moog servo-valves

50 kip MTS actuator with 60 GPM Moog servo-valve

25 kip MTS actuator with 60 GPM Moog servo-valve

2 - 100 kip actuators

Many other long stroke rams (1 kip - 300 kips)

Varied and numerous Enerpac rams

Load Cells

2 - 200 kip Strainsert load cells

2 - 200 kip Senso-Tech load cells

100 kip Strainsert load cell

50 kip Lebow load cell

Fracture toughness

Non-load Related Concrete Test Equipment

16 in comparator

6 x 12 in compressometer-extensometer

4 x 8 in compressometer-extensometer

Resonant frequency equipment

Water bath with temperature control and stand for measuring thermal coefficient of expansion

The lab also includes a 10-ton crane for moving large-scale specimens and test components. A reaction floor is also available so large-scale test frames can be easily assembly to accommodate specialized loading conditions.

Concrete and Mortar Sample Preparation Equipment

The lab is fully equiped to cast, cure and test concrete specimens as well as other pavement materials. Some of the equipment available for for casting, curing and preparing concrete specimens is provided below.

Aggregate

1- Jaw crusher

1 – Los Angeles abrassion machine

3 – Ro-Tap sieve shakers

3 - Aggregate screen shakers

5 - Aggregate bins

27 cft forced air conventional bench aggregate oven

Fine aggregate specific gravity workstation

Coarse aggregate specfic gravity workstation

Bench Scales

Floor Scales

1 Toledo scale

Cement

Ball mill Ball Mill

Vicat test equipment

Blaine air permeability apparatus

Concrete

Air meters, slump cones, concrete thermometers and Vicat apparati for measuring fresh concrete properties

Unit weight bucket

5.5 cft rotating drum mixer

Concrete sedimentation pit

Vibrating table

Shaft vibrator

2 - Environmental rooms

a) Temperature/humidity controll room (Drying shrinkage) (6 ft x. 11 ft) Concrete saw

b) Temperature/humidity controll concrete cure room (11.5 ft x 14 ft)

2 - Lime cure tanks (one with heater and agitator)

Stationary core rig

Concrete saw

Fume Hood

4 qt Capping compound melting pot

12 qt Capping compound melting pot

Environmental Equipment

Viasala releative humidity/temperature probe

Digital thermocouple readout and temperature probes

Dynamic Modulus Drying Shrinkage