Facilities
The Construction Science research group has a dedicated laboratory with
the following specialist facilities.
- Hassler Cell permeameter. For high-pressure permeability measurements in porous materials (clay brick, stone, mortar, concrete) and studies of permeability and reactive transport processes in cementitious materials. Two sample sizes can be accommodated: 22 and 50mm diameter cores of lengths up to 75mm.
- Falling Head permeameter. For the measurement of permeability of granular solids.
- Ion chromatograph. Used in conjunction with the Hassler Cell, this instrument allows analysis of the composition of pore solution eluted from cementitious materials and also allows the study of “ion trapping” in such materials.
- Vacuum saturation equipment. Used for the measurement of porosity.
- American Petroleum Institute (API) Pressure Cells. Used for pressure-dewatering of wet (i.e. freshly-mixed) cement and lime mortars.
- Environmental chambers. Currently used for curing cement and concrete materials under controlled conditions of temperature, relative humidity and CO2.
- Pushrod dilatometer. This instrument has a resolution of 0.1 microns
and is used for the measurement of moisture expansion in fired clay ceramics.