Laboratories for construction and building materials

The Faculty of Science and Technology at UiS has several laboratories within the field of construction and building materials. Here is an overview of relevant equipment and facilities.

Published 30. Mar. 2022. Updated on 01. Mar. 2024

These study programmes use the laboratories in teaching:

Get to know our laboratories within construction and building materials

Mechanical workshop 

The mechanical workshop has equipment for joining, cutting, folding, bending and removing chips from materials. We can help machine materials used for experiments that require a high degree of accuracy and produce special parts for equipment that cannot be obtained elsewhere. We can make parts in most types of plastics and metals.

Equipment that is produced or adapted for a specific purpose is often refined during the fabrication process and this usually takes place through a continuous dialogue with the orderer. The workshop is available for both research and teaching and for use by both students and staff.

Instruments

Saw for cutting  
Shearing machine, folding machine, bending machine  
Okuma CNC lathe  
Mazak CNC mill  
Conventional lathe
Conventional milling machine
Pillar drill  
Belt sander  
Sanding roller  
Surface grinder
Sandblaster  
Painting booth  
MIG welding machine  
TIG welding machine  
MMA welding
Angle grinder
Plasma cutter
Traverse crane
Pallet truck  
A range of lifting and moving equipment

Analyses and methods

Machining 
Cutting/folding/bending 
Chip removal 
Joining

Kontaktperson: Emil Mannes Surnevik

3D-printing

The 3D printing laboratory has equipment for 3D printing parts in various types of plastic, such as ABS, PLA and TPU, and an FDM metal printer, which are used for laboratory work by students and for research. There are also 3D printers for biomedical research. DLP printing available, Digital light processing for Lumen X printer.

The parts produced vary from prototypes to display models. The facilities are used by both students and staff and are also used in subjects like CAD/CAP and 3D Printing.

Instruments

Markforged metal X
Markforged Wash-1
Markforged Sinter-1
Markforged Mark Two
Stratasys Fortus 450mc
Prusa i3 MK3
Bambu Lab X1
Dry-Line VWR
Ultimaker S5
Formlabs Form 3+
Formlabs Form 3B+ (Bioprinter)
Formlab Form Wash
Formlab Form Cure
HandySCAN 700
Einscan H
Einscan Transcan C
Cell ink BioX (Bioprinter)
Cell ink Lumen X (bioresin printer)

Analyses and methods

Fused deposition modelling
Selective Laser Melting
Bioprinting
DLP printing

Contact persons: Jan-Tore Jakobsen, Andreas Skaare, og Hanne Røland Hagland (bioprinting)

Concrete

The laboratory has equipment for producing concrete and equipment for carrying out tests on concrete in both fresh and hardened states based on NS-EN standards.

Instruments

Concrete mixer (vacuum), volume 0.5-3 litres
Concrete mixer, volume 10-30 litres
Concrete mixer, volume 50-150 litres
Slip form rig for slip forming simulation
Climate cabinet
Hydraulic press (3000 kN, 50 kN, 2 kN)
Bending press (400 kN, 250 kN)
Chloride meter
Rheometer
A fair number of displacement gauges
Quantum X for converting data
Temperature logger
Concrete saw

Analyses and methods

Analyses of fresh concrete based on NS-EN
Pressure testing of hardened concrete based on NS-EN
E-module testing of hardened concrete based on NS-EN
Split testing of hardened concrete based on NS-EN
Wedge tensile test
Shrinkage test
pH meter

Contact persons: Jarle Berge og Samdar Kakay

Wood

The faculty has its own wood workshop. The workshop has large benches and some tools that can be used for, for example, building models. It also has machines and equipment that are used by students and staff for project assignments, such as a laser cutter and various saws.

Instruments

Epilog laser fusion M2
Styrofoam cutter
Belt sander
Saws
Various hand tools

Analyses og methods

Model building
Laser cutting
Sawing

Contact person: Andreas Skaare

Roadbuilding

The roadbuilding laboratories can be used for analysing and testing aggregates, bitumen, bituminous masses and asphalt. Asphalt masses can also be produced, with the preparation and compaction of samples. The equipment and facilities are used by students and staff, as well as external companies that order testing and reports on various roadbuilding materials that will be used in Rogaland.

The laboratory has equipment for heating bitumen samples, and it can conduct Fraass breaking point tests (the temperature at which bitumen reaches critical brittleness and cracks), softening point tests (the temperature at which binders, under standardised conditions, achieve a certain viscosity) as well as needle penetration tests (which determine the hardness of bitumen and bituminous binders by measuring the penetration of a needle into the sample). In the laboratory, users can also prepare asphalt samples with an asphalt mixer before testing the asphalt through Marshall impact compaction (the samples are placed in a cylindrical form (90 mm diameter) and compacted with a Marshall compactor to a length of approximately 90 mm. In addition, users can determine the indirect tensile strength and load distribution coefficient of bituminous masses, as well as the sample’s density, and calculate bitumen content.

For aggregates, users can crush and split stone samples and rocks into smaller, representative fractions. The density of aggregates can be determined using water baths and steel pycnometers. Sieve shaker analysis is used for grading aggregate materials and can be used for all aggregates from 0.063 mm to 90 mm, while sedimentation tests use a hydrometer to grade aggregate materials smaller than 0.063 mm.

Instruments

Fraass breaking point apparatus
Softening point device (manual)
Penetrometer
Heaters (TERMAKS and GEONOR)
Heating cabinet (TERMAK)
Thermo lyne NCAT ignition furnace for bitumen content
Impactors GEONOR
Asphalt mixer INFRATEST
Crushing machine
Sieving machine HAVE ML
Sieves with square openings
Bar sieves
Equipment for sedimentation test
Steel pycnometers
Los Angeles machine
Micro Deval machine

Analyses og methods

BITUMEN AND ASPHALT

Heating bitumen samples
Fraass breaking point
Softening point
Needle penetration
Asphalt production
Marshall impact compaction
Indirect tensile strength
Density, maximum density (theoretical calculation) and air cavity content.
Ignition testing of asphalt samples (calculation of bitumen content).

AGGREGATES

Reduction of samples with splitting apparatus
Laboratory crushing of stone materials
Density of aggregates (water baths and steel pycnometers)
Sieve shaker analysis (dry sieving washed materials)
Sedimentation test (using hydrometer)
Los Angeles method: This test simulates the impact an aggregate is subjected to in a road.
Micro Deval method: This test simulates the wear an aggregate is subjected to in a mechanically stabilised load-bearing and reinforcement layer.
Flakiness index and shape index.

Contact person: Guzmán Cruz