2022-2023 Civil and Environmental Engineering Facilities

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has a number of laboratories to support its teaching and research.

Instructional Laboratories

Engineering Geomatics Laboratory

This field laboratory teaches basic and advanced geomatics techniques including light detection and range (LIDAR) imaging, georeferencing using total station and differential global positioning system (GPS) equipment, and integration of measurements with LIDAR mapping software and Google Earth. Experiments are conducted on campus.

Environmental Engineering Laboratories

The laboratories are used for the study of basic laboratory techniques for characterizing water and wastewaters. Selected experiments include measurement of biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, dissolved oxygen hardness, and other parameters used in water quality control.

Experimental Fracture Mechanics Laboratory

The laboratory is used for preparing and testing specimens using modern dynamic testing machines to develop an understanding of fracture mechanics and to become familiar with experimental techniques available to study crack tip stress fields, strain energy release rate, surface flaws, and crack growth in laboratory samples.

Hydrology Laboratory

The laboratory is used for studying basic surface water processes and characterizing a range of geochemical parameters. Basic experiments include measurements of suspended solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, sediment distributions, and other basic water quality constituents. The laboratory also includes an extensive suite of equipment for measuring surface water processes in situ, including precipitation, stage height, discharge, channel geomorphology, and other physical parameters.

Mechanical Vibrations Laboratory

The laboratory is used for conducting free and forced vibration and earthquake response experiments on small model structures such as a three-story building, a portal frame, and a water intake/outlet tower for a reservoir. Two electromagnetic exciters, each with a 30-pound dynamic force rating, are available for generating steady state forced vibrations. A number of accelerometers, LVDTs (displacement transducers), and potentiometers are available for measuring the motions of the structure. A laboratory view-based computer-controlled dynamic data acquisition system, an oscilloscope, and a spectrum analyzer are used to visualize and record the motion of the model structures.

Two small electromagnetic and servohydraulic shaking tables (1.5 ft. x 1.5 ft. and 2 ft. x 4 ft.) are available to simulate the dynamic response of structures to base excitation such as earthquake ground motions.

Reinforced Concrete Laboratory

The laboratory is available for students to conduct monotonic and cyclic loading to verify analysis and design methods for moderate-scale reinforced concrete slabs, beams, columns, and joints, which are tested to failure.

Soil Mechanics Laboratory

The laboratory is used for performing experiments to establish data required for soil classification, soil compaction, shear strength of soils, soil settlement, and consolidation characteristics of soils. Students enrolled in the Advanced Soil Mechanics Laboratory course see demonstrations of cyclic soil testing techniques including triaxial and direct simple shear, and advanced data acquisition and processing.

Structural Design and Testing Laboratory

The laboratory is used for the design/optimization, construction, instrumentation, and testing of small-scale structural models to compare theoretical and observed behavior. Projects provide integrated design/laboratory experience involving synthesis of structural systems and procedures for measuring and analyzing response under load.

Research Laboratories

Building Earthquake Instrumentation Network

The network consists of more than 100 earthquake strong motion instruments in two campus buildings to measure the response of actual buildings during earthquakes. When combined with over 50 instruments placed in Century City high-rises and other nearby buildings, this network, which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey’s Strong Instrumentation Motion Program, represents one of the most detailed building instrumentation networks in the world. The goal of the research conducted using the response of these buildings is to improve computer modeling methods and the ability of structural engineers to predict the performance of buildings during earthquakes.

Environmental Engineering Laboratories

The laboratories are used for conducting water and waste-water analysis, including instrumental techniques such as microscopy, PCR, qPCR, GC, GC/MS, HPLC, TOC, IC, and particle counting instruments. A wide range of wet chemical analysis can be made in this facility with 6,000 square feet of laboratory space and an accompanying 4,000-square-foot rooftop facility where large pilot scale experiments can be conducted. Additionally, electron microscopy is available in another laboratory.

Recently studies have been conducted on oxygen transfer; storm water toxicity; transport and remediation of pollutants in soil; membrane fouling; toxicity assessment and removal of contaminants from drinking, ground, storm, and waste water; and computer simulation of a variety of environmental processes.

Experimental Mechanics Laboratory

The laboratory supports two major laboratories: the Optical Metrology Laboratory and the Experimental Fracture Mechanics Laboratory.

In the Optical Metrology Laboratory, tools of modern optics are applied to engineering problems. Such techniques as holography, speckle-interferometry, Moiré analysis, and fluorescence-photo mechanics are used for obtaining displacement, stress, strain, or velocity fields in either solids or liquids. Recently, real-time video digital processors have been combined with these modern optical technical techniques, allowing direct interfacing with computer-based systems such as computer-aided testing or robotic manufacturing.

The Experimental Fracture Mechanics Laboratory is currently involved in computer-aided testing (CAT) of the fatigue fracture mechanics of ductile material. An online dedicated computer controls the experiment as well as records and manipulates data.

Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2)

Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials research efforts are directed toward development and design of sustain able, low-carbon-dioxide-footprint materials for infrastructure construction applications. To this end, its research group develops fundamental constituent chemistry-micro structure-engineering performance descriptors of cementitious materials to correlate and unify the fundamental variables that describe the overall response of the material.

These efforts are directed toward addressing the practical needs of the wider construction community, and developing so-called new concretes for the next generation of infrastructure construction applications. The overall research theme aims to rationalize use of natural resources in construction, promote environmental protection, and advance the cause of ecological responsibility in the concrete construction industry.

Laboratory for the Physics of Amorphous and Inorganic Soils (PARISlab)

PARISlab research focuses on improving materials of engineering and industrial relevance. Its goal is to understand composition-nano- and micro-structure property relationships in materials at a fundamental level. To this end, it uses a computational physical/material science approach supported by experiments.

In strong collaboration with the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2), PARISlab works to establish a new paradigm in civil engineering by tackling the sustainability of infrastructure materials at different scales, from atoms to structures.

Large-Scale Structure Test Facility

The facility allows investigation of the behavior of large-scale structural components and systems subjected to gravity and earthquake loadings. The facility consists of a high-bay area with a 20 ft. x 50 ft. strong floor with anchor points at 3 ft. on center. Actuators with servohydraulic controllers are used to apply monotonic or cyclic loads. The area is serviced by two cranes. The facilities are capable of testing large-scale structural components under a variety of axial and lateral loadings.

Associated with the laboratory is an electrohydraulic universal testing machine with force capacity of 100 tons. The machine is used mainly to apply tensile and compressive loads to specimens so that the properties of the materials from which the speci-mens are made can be determined. It can also be used in fatigue testing of small components.

Mobility Laboratory

The Mobility Lab is dedicated to harnessing system theories and tools—such as artificial intelligence, control theory, robotics, machine learning, and optimization—to innovate and develop advanced mobility technologies and solutions for smart cities, particularly intelligent vehicular and transportation systems. It conducts extensive research, with support from government agencies (such as federal and state transportation departments, and the National Science Foundation) and private sectors into improving transportation system sustainability with advanced technologies and management solutions. The lab also leverages the university environment, and works with external partners, to perform research and development; and to prepare a future workforce for competitive advantage in advanced vehicular technologies, vehicle automation, and electrification; urban analytics for future mobility and smart cities; and resilient, secure, and smart transportation and logistics infrastructure.

Soil Mechanics Laboratory

The laboratory is used for standard experiments and advanced research in geotechnical engineering, with equipment for static and dynamic triaxial and simple shear testing. Modem computer-controlled servo-hydraulic closed-loop system supports triaxial and simple shear devices. The system is connected to state-of-the-art data acquisition equipment. The laboratory also includes special simple shear apparatuses for small-strain static and cyclic testing and for one-dimensional or two-dimensional cyclic loading across a wide range of frequencies. A humidity room is available for storing soil samples.