Faculty of Engineering » Concrete Research Laboratory

Concrete Research Laboratory

Director: Prof. Dr. Magdy Kassem

Introduction

The Concrete Research Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University is one of the main piers that revolutionized structural engineering in Egypt. The lab utilizes its available resources to conduct experimental tests concerning scientific research in the field of reinforced concrete for more than seventy years.

Concrete Research Lab is considered one of the largest and well established Labs in the Middle East. The Lab was first established in 1931 as part of the Royal School of Engineering (now the Faculty of Engineering) of the Egyptian University (now Cairo University) located at a building next to the Heat Lab of the Mechanical Engineering Department. The lab was transferred to its permanent location in the Faculty Annex in 1939. The lab was under joint management with the “Foundation Lab” till their separation in the early fifties.

In 1990, the Concrete Lab was renovated to occupy an area three times the size of its previous one. The Lab new equipment is considered to be the state-of-the art in machinery. It allows the conduction of highly sophisticated tests and research. It includes a test base for investigating long span structural elements under loads with different directions. Also, a special section was constructed to test small-scale models.

Research activities

Conducting scientific research on plain, reinforced and pre-stressed concrete carried out by graduate students and staff members
Organizing scientific conferences.

Beam Sample after Testing

Facilities

Facilities include;

500 , 200 , 175 ton Universal testing machines
A solid base with huge loading steel that allow testing using hydraulic jacks with high loading capacities
A universal Shimadzu testing machine
Modern instruments such as electronic loading machines in which loading can be controlled through displacements, and automatically monitored.
Other modern instruments were added to the Lab to cope with the latest innovations in reinforced concrete research.
Highly qualified technicians are managing the instruments under the supervision of teaching staff and professors in the field of reinforced concrete

Control Panel and Electronics for Testing

Strong Floor and Rigid Frame for Testing

Hydraulic Testing Frame

Beam Sample after Testing

Concrete Cube Testing Machine

500 ton Hydraulic Testing Frame

175 ton Hydraulic Testing Frame

Computerized Shimadzu testing machine

Industrial Interaction

Concrete research laboratory, Cairo University is aiming at enhancing the scientific and industrial interaction and cooperation between the university and society through services for institutions, enterprises and engineering firms all over the country through :

Conducting necessary Lab experiments for quality control of concrete structures and assessment of different concrete structural elements.
Conducting field experiments on different structures using non-destructive tests, e.g. ultrasonic waves, Schmidt hammer etc… Also conducting loading tests on existing structures, e.g. bridges, factories etc.
Providing professional training programs for structural engineers.

Consulting Services

Field Tests

Hammer tests for measurement of hardened concrete strength.
Ultrasonic and loading tests for pile foundations
Extracting concrete core specimens.
Loading tests for different structural elements.
Measuring strains and deflections due to loading of structural elements.
Locating the distribution and diameter of steel reinforcement bars, and the thickness of concrete cover in different structural elements.

Quality Control

Reviewing structural designs.
Technical inspection of materials.
Controlling concrete materials.
Technical inspection before concrete curing.
Technical inspection during and after curing.
Assisting in project construction management.

Technical Reports

Conducting necessary field inspections.
Preparing structural safety reports.
Preparing structural inspection reports.
Suggesting methods for repairing and strengthening of defected structural elements.

Structural Design