Structural and Material Engineering Facilities

  • The Advanced Civil Engineering Materials Research Laboratory addresses problems in infrastructure, hazard mitigation, and the environment using materials technology. At the technology core is micromechanics-based designed Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with ductility approaching three orders of magnitude that of ordinary concrete or FRC.
  • The Cementations Composites Laboratory focuses on studying and enhancing the behavior of advanced cementitious composite materials to achieve properties of importance to structural engineering applications. The core research involves material testing, developing of new fibers, improving the manufacturing techniques, as well as tailoring and optimization of cementitious composites to best suit structural engineering applications.
  • The Center for High-Performance Materials, Sensors, and Structures for Next Generation Infrastructure performs pioneering work in the design and structural applications of novel materials and advanced sensing systems for the design of durable infrastructure systems.
  • The Center of Excellence in Bridges and Structures performs research related to infrastructure facilities such as highway bridges. The projects are sponsored by NSF, NCHRP, Michigan DOT and other State DOT's. Research topics include development of bridge load and resistance models, evaluation of existing structures by analysis and field testing.
  • The Computational Structural Simulation Laboratory explores new computational strategies and methodologies for high fidelity simulation of the transient behavior of structural systems. The focus is on modeling failure and collapse of systems subjected to extreme events such as earthquakes, blast and impact.
  • The Laboratory for Intelligent Structural Technology investigates low-cost wireless sensors for monitoring the behavior of structures during ambient or forced vibrations.
  • The Pavement Research Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan is a comprehensive materials and structural testing facility for rigid concrete pavements. The center, led by Dr. Will Hansen, is fully equipped to study Portland cement concrete and concrete pavements at all levels, from microstructural analysis to full scale slab testing.
  • The Reliability of Structures Laboratory is involved in the development of new generation of design codes, statistical load and resistance models, and the reliability-based code calibration procedures for bridges (AASHTO LRFD, CHBDC, OHBDC) and buildings (ACI 318).
  • The Structural Engineering Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for structural testing of large-scale structural elements and subassemblies under monotonic and quasi-static cyclic loading.