Concrete and Built Environment

  1. LABORATORY RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The laboratory serves the educational, scientific and research needs in the field of concrete structures and materials, as well as contemporary trends research trends into the effects of their integration in the built environment. More specifically, it concerns theoretical, experimental and applied research on concrete elements and structures such as:

  • • High performance materials
  • • Seismic behaviour and seismic protection
  • • Static, dynamic and seismic design
  • • Laboratory and on-site structural testing
  • • Structural health monitoring
  • • Composition study
  • • Pathology - Protection - Fire safety
  • • Repair / Strengthening / Maintenance
  • • Buildings - Bridges - High Rise Buildings - Tunnels - Dams
  • • Foundations and reinforcements of civil engineering works
  • • Surface and underground structures
  • • Prefabricated structures
  • • Sandwich structures
  • • Construction organisation and management
  • • Risk management
  • • Structural engineering
  • • Environmental impact of engineering works and landscape restoration

 

  1. PURPOSE OF THE LABORATORY

The mission of the laboratory includes:

  • • the development and promotion of research in the field of concrete structures, including seismic behaviour and seismic protection
  • • the innovation in modern building materials, such as high-performance materials
  • the creation of a stable research core with the aim of excellence
  • conducting research to meet the teaching and research needs at undergraduate and postgraduate level of the Department of Environmental Engineering, other departments of the International Hellenic University and other University Departments on topics within the scope of the laboratory's activities
  • • supporting the technical services of the International University in related matters
  • • the development of cooperation between members of the teaching staff, the pooling of experience and know-how within research teams
  • • the development of new research projects for the methodological and scientific-technical cultivation of fields relevant to the nature of the laboratory.
  • • the association and any form of cooperation with educational institutions and research centres in Greece and abroad, provided that their scientific objectives coincide and are compatible and complementary to those of the laboratory.
  • • active participation in the activities of the Alexandria Innovation Zone
  • • the coordination of the relevant research programmes in all the individual research areas and their functional interconnection from a scientific and administrative point of view
  • the organisation of scientific lectures, workshops, seminars, symposia, conferences, and other scientific events, the invitation of Greek and foreign renowned scientists and the publication of their proccedings.
  • the provision of services to private individuals, organisations of any legal form, related public services, local authorities, other social and scientific bodies, and public utility institutions.
  1. LABORATORY LOCATION

The Laboratory is located in the Alexandria University Campus. Follow the signs towards the Administration building. After crossing the barriers it’s on the left. It covers an area of 170 m22, with electricity, telephone, water, compressed air and Internet networks.

The layout in the workshop area is approximately as shown below.

  1. 4. AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
  • The laboratory equipment includes:
    • • INSTRON Servo Hydraulic Mechanical Testing System, capable of applying a compressive load of 4500kN.

INSTRON 4500kN – Compressive load application device

  • • INSTRON High Capacity Hydraulic Test System, with a capacity of 600kN for bending and tension

INSTRON 600kN – Bending - tensile force device

  • • Concrete mixer with a capacity of 300 lt and power of 5,5 kW

Concrete mixer

  • • 3000kN compressive load imposing machine
  • • Maintenance Chamber

Compressive loading machine 3000kN and maintenance chamber

  • • Specimen Gridding Machine

Gridding Machine

  • • Recorder with processing of measurements with electronic transducers for measuring movements and pressures, load cells.
  • • 12-channel digital data loggers.

Recorder – Data Loggers – PC

  • • RAM Device

• RAM Device

  • • Concrete shotcrete machine

• Concrete shotcrete machine

  • • Drying apparatus

• Drying apparatus

  • • Digital hardness testing

• Digital hardness testing

Other Laboratory Equipment

Specimen maintenance tank (1), 150x150 cubic moulds (36), 150x300 cylindrical metal moulds (30), 150x150x750mm prismatic moulds (3), 150x150x600mm prismatic moulds (3), 100x100x500mm prismatic moulds (3), vibrating concrete test specimen compacting table (1), simple concrete mixer (1), LVDTs (4), peripheral elongation meter (1), complete set of sieves according to ASTM, AASHTO, DIN, BS standards, vibrating sieving machine (1), material testing machine plates (Distance Pieces) 400mm diameter and 45mm height (3), material testing machine plates (Distance Pieces) 205mm diameter and 50mm height (3), electronic scales (2), weighing scales with weights (4), settling cones (7), spreading devices (7), drums for aggregate and cement (5), large basins (6), small basins (13), volumetric tubes (6), dosing containers (6), iron cups (5), brushes (6), coloured rings (5), trowels (9), scoops (4), mini scoops (2), measuring tapes (6), thickness gauges (6), plastic spreader bars (7), steel condensation rods (2), tripod (1), compressed air supply (1), air wrench (1), hand tools, bench with sink.

Software

The laboratory has INSTRON's software for handling the devices and modern packages of special technical software such as the complete FESPA-TEKTON package including thermal insulation and fire safety packages and Seismostruct.

  1. RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The past research and development activities of the laboratory includes the following projects:

  1. 2. Regional Operational Programme of Central Macedonia "SUPPLY OF EQUIPMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION"

Duration: 01.01.2019-31.12.2023

Budget for the laboratory: €200.000

Design - Implementation for the Laboratory: Dimitrios Konstantinidis.

  1. 2. Regional Operational Programme of Central Macedonia "SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR THE REFRESHING OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE LABORATORIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE FORMER ALEXANDRIO TEI OF THESSALONIK and NYN DI.PA.E"

Duration: 01.01.2017-31.12.2022

Budget for the laboratory: €54.000

Design - Implementation for the Laboratory: Dimitrios Konstantinidis.

  1. 2. Regional Operational Programme of Central Macedonia "Procurement of scientific - research equipment of the ALEXANDRIO TEI OF THESSALONIKI"

Duration: 01.01.2013-31.12.2013

Budget for the laboratory: €438.000

Design - Implementation for the Laboratory: Dimitrios Konstantinidis.

  1. 4. Research Support Programme 2009 of Alexandreio TEI of Thessaloniki"EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF INPUT ENGINEERING OF INOLVED FIELDS"

Duration: 01.01.2010-31.12.2011

Budget: €10.000

Principal Investigator: Konstantinos Anagnostopoulos

  1. Operational Programme "Education and Lifelong Learning 2007-2013" - Action "EXCELLENCE II" "EXPANSION OF EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS TO INTEGRATE THE USE OF HIGH-EFFICIENCY MATERIALS IN SEISMIC AREAS"

Duration: 28.02.2014-31.07.2015

Budget: €130.000

Principal Investigator: Dimitrios Konstantinidis.

In addition, the Laboratory contributed to:

a) Part of the research project "Excellence II" which concerned the study of concrete compositions and the experimental investigation of the behaviour of 120 square and circular concrete and fibre-reinforced concrete and high and ultra-high strength concrete columns. In addition, within the framework of the research project, the laboratory collaborated with the Laboratory of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Masonry of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Column Specimen 120MPa

b) Part of two PhD theses in collaboration with the Geological Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on experiments under uniaxial loading (completed in 2020, 2021).

c) All fracture experiments under equivalent loading concerning the investigation of soil improvement and mechanical properties of rocks.

d) Part of the research projects concerning fracture behaviour: INTERREG III - Analysis, Assessment and Management of Landslide Risk, INTERREG IV - RISK management of natural and anthropogenic landsLIDES in the greek-bulgarian cross-border area.

The Laboratory participates in «The Carbon Removal Project – Biochar»

  1. SCIENTIFIC STAFF AND COLLABORATORS

The scientific staff of the Laboratory consists of the following members:

  1. Professor Dimitrios Konstantinidis Dipl(Eng), MSc, PhD, DIC
  2. Δρ. Αντώνιος Λιόλιος, ΕΔΙΠ
  3. Τσικρίκης Αναστάσιος, Συνεργαζόμενο διδακτικό προσωπικό
  4. Θέση 2 ΕΤΠ
  5. Θέση 3 ΕΤΠ

The Laboratory follows the Laboratory Operating Regulations of the Department, has safety signs in Greek and English language and has a pharmacy and a fire extinguisher.

Κανονισμός Λειτουργίας Εργαστηρίων

Σήμανση Ασφαλείας Εργαστηρίου Σκυροδέματοςt και Δομημένου Περιβάλλοντος

Professor Dimitrios Konstantinidis Dipl(Eng), MSc, PhD, DIC

Director of the Concrete and Built Environment Laboratory

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