Structures and Construction laboratory

This laboratory is used in order to provide hands-on educational experience for students; to support research and development of innovative hurricane-resistant and durable construction materials, structural systems and components; to serve the construction industry; to contribute to the engineering community in South Florida, and to advance the safety, durability, and economy of our civil infrastructure.

The Structures and Construction Laboratory (SCL) was built through the help of a consortium of 21 industry partners who donated materials, services, and cash in excess of $250,000. It is one of the largest facilities in the State of Florida with a total area of 6375 ft2 of floor space and equipped with a full-scale structural testing system (FSST). The FSST consists of a 15 ft tall testing frame that stands above a 35 ft × 65 ft strong concrete floor with 4 ft thickness and 100,000 lbs capacity tie-downs on a 3 ft × 6 ft pattern. The steel frame is capable of testing full-scale structural members, such as a 65 ft bridge girder. The applied load is replicated using a fatigue rated tension/compression actuator that is capable of performing cyclic loading. In addition to the FSST, the SCL is also equipped with other material testing systems, including a universal testing machine, compression machine, and small-scale load frames.