Facilities
Research facilities available are:
- Large 'strong floors' with closely spaced 250 kN anchor points, served by 5 tonne overhead cranes and by a hydraulic ring main from which several static and dynamic testing rigs can be run simultaneously.
- The testing machines available provide a tensile fatigue capacity up to 500 kN with static bending up to 2500 kN and compression to 3000 kN.
- Large furnace (3.5x3.5x2.5m internal dimensions) with an optional reaction frame for testing wall panels of 2x2m exposed to fire from one side.
- Medium furnace (2.5x0.8x1m internal dimensions) with a strong reaction frame for combined structural and fire testing of beams, columns, connections and floor slabs.
- Small furnace (1.5x1.5x1.5m internal dimensions) for fire testing of unloaded elements
- Cone calorimeter
- Various electrically heated kilns with reaction frames for mechanical testing of materials and structural components