The University of Miami College of Engineering’s Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Department Center for Repair of Buildings and Bridges with Composites (RB²C) conducts theoretical and experimental research on novel composite materials and systems for new construction and structural rehabilitation.
Explained Fabio Matta, PhD of RB²C, “We’re trying to push the envelope using new materials that are more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and more efficient from a structural standpoint”. The tests, utilizing a 200,000 lb Universal Testing Frame seek to identify and evaluate advances in fiber reinforced polymer wrapping technologies used to rehabilitate damaged or worn concrete beams. This research requires precise displacement control in order to accurately record the load and deformation response of the specimens.
RB²C chose to update its 50-year-old 200,000 lb Baldwin screw gear universal test machine with ADMET’s MTESTQuattro Materials Testing System, a PC-based controller that offers a wide range of flexibility in control, data acquisition, analysis, and reporting.
The data are collected over several channels. Sensors include load cells, strain gauges, crack gauges, linear variable differential transformers, etc. “The ADMET system we use provides the displacement control that we require to ensure reliable results for analysis,” concluded Matta.
