The curriculum requires that all students obtain firsthand
experience in the use of a wide range of modern experimental equipment.
The purpose of the laboratory instruction is to complement the
theoretical and analytical course work and to verify the fundamentals
learned in the courses. The department's laboratory facilities are
located in the Civil Engineering Laboratory Building and the Civil
Engineering Building, which are equipped to carry out a broad spectrum
of sophisticated research and instruction in virtually all aspects of
civil engineering.
Concrete Structures and Materials Laboratory. This
laboratory has facilities for instrumentation and testing for failure
of reinforced and prestressed large-span beams, columns, connections,
and large-panel slabs. The equipment includes a 1,000,000 lb. capacity
compression tester; a 650,000 lb. capacity girder and frame tester for
testing simple and continuous girders; a 350,000 lb. capacity slab,
pipe, and frame tester; two Hewlett-Packard 100-channel data
acquisition and processing systems; a 20 2 25 ft. temperature- and
humidity-controlled environmental chamber; and facilities for rapid
freezing and thawing tests.
Environmental Engineering Laboratory. This
laboratory is equipped for performing basic and analytical work for the
analysis of water and wastes and the unit processes associated with
treatment. Molecular level and advanced analytical chemical
measurements are available for complex environmental samples, including
water and air matrices.
The equipment includes a high pressure
liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer within trap detection (LCMS), a
total carbon/total nitrogen analyzer, gas chromatographs, total organic
carbon analyzer, atomic absorption analyzer, pH meters, centrifuges,
constant-temperature water baths, ovens, an exhaust hood, various
mixing devices, and pumps. It also includes equipment for assessment of
the effect of hazardous liquids on the geohydrologic properties of
soils, such as flexible type permeameters.
Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics Laboratory. This
laboratory contains state-of-the-art equipment for student instruction.
Three multipurpose hydraulic benches are equipped with attachments
designed to demonstrate the basic principles of mass, momentum, and
energy conservation and transfer. A tilting flume is available for
similar experiments and demonstrations. Apparatus to study sediment
transport hydrology and water quality also is available.
Large-Scale Structures Laboratory. This
laboratory features a 25 2 50 ft. reaction floor having tie-down points
designed to resist uplift forces of 30 kips each. A 5-ton bridge crane
spans the floor. "Erector set" type fixtures are utilized to provide
maximum flexibility for testing a variety of full-scale structural
components. Hydraulic jacks with capacities of up to 100 tons are
available for application of structural loads. An MTS Closed Loop
Electrohydraulic Test System capable of more than 125,000 lb. of force
and velocities of up to 350 in. per minute is available for the
application of dynamic and repeated loads.
Microcomputer Laboratory. Undergraduates
use this facility extensively for course and laboratory work and
computer graphics. The laboratory is equipped with the latest personal
computers. There is an ample number of printers and plotters. More than
40 software packages are available for computer-aided design,
construction engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural
engineering, and water resources. The laboratory is updated continually
as computer technology advances.
Rutgers Intelligent Transportation Systems (RITS) Laboratory. Rutgers
Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory has a cluster of Pentium
PCs, a powerful file server, and various peripherals networked
together. RITS lab has recently acquired a specially built trailer
called POGO instrumented with two video cameras and other equipment and
a number of other automated image processing hardware. Traffic signal
control and interfacing hardware for conducting hardware-in-the-loop
simulations have also been recently acquired for hands-on research and
education activities. A number of commercially available
state-of-the-art transportation engineering software packages and
several unique transportation databases are also part of the RITS lab.
Soil Dynamics Laboratory. This
laboratory is equipped to study wave propagation characteristics
through soil and rock, the basic dynamic properties of particulate
materials, and the interaction between foundation structures and
underlying soils. The equipment consists of a resonant column device, a
high-strain amplitude torsional shear test apparatus, a cyclic triaxial
shear system, and a miniature electrodynamic exciter used for studying
the response of dynami- cally loaded model footings. A cross-hole
apparatus and a wave analyzer are available for subsurface
investigation.
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Laboratory.
This laboratory contains up-to-date equipment for the performance of
soil identification and classification tests and for the determination
of physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties. The equipment
includes standard as well as back-pressured consolidometers; direct,
triaxial, and laboratory vane shear strength devices; and various
permeameters. An automatic triaxial testing system also is available. A
large-capacity environmental chamber is available for temperature and
humidity control testing.
Solid Mechanics Laboratory. This
laboratory is equipped to determine the strength and physical
properties of engineering materials. There are universal testing
machines, with a maximum capacity of 60,000 lb. for tension and
compression tests; a torsion machine; Brinell and Rockwell hardness
testers; an impact machine; beam-testing rigs; and strut buckling
apparatus.
