Teaching Workshops and Research
In order to develop its teaching and research, the Civil Engineering Program (LECIV) has modern laboratories (workshops) in the different areas of study.
Mortar and Ceramic Materials Workshop
The workshop allows masters and doctoral students to conduct research on bedding mortar and coating and develop new red ceramic materials. The workshop has the following equipment: planetary mill; ultrasonic sieving machine (5 µm); device for chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence (Shimadzu); laboratory extruder with variable mouthpieces; ball mill; jaw crusher; laminator; four ovens to burn ceramic materials up to a temperature of 1200ºC with automatic temperature control; three ovens to dry materials; two mortar mixers; two flow tables; device to determine water retention of mortar; mortar air meter; molds and a device to measure linear retraction in mortars; squeeze flow testing equipment; two devices to test pullout (adherence); sclerometer; two precision scales; three soil-cement block making machines (one automatic); soil pulverizer; and two manual presses. Projects developed in the workshop are funded by FAPERJ and CNPq, in collaboration with the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV-MG) and the Military Engineering Institute (IME-RJ).
Workshop for Geotechnical Materials Durability Tests (GeoLED)
The Workshop for Geotechnical Materials Durability Tests aims to conduct research on the durability and alterability of materials used in Civil Engineering, especially geotechnical projects. The activities of GeoLED focus on Geological-Geotechnical Investigation. The workshop began in 2001 and has grown through the joint efforts of different sectors of UENF’s Civil and Materials Engineering departments, bringing these two engineering areas closer together and fostering collaboration between their respective members. Studies carried out in the laboratory aim to determine the durability and alterability characteristics of geotechnical materials, especially geosynthetics, rocky materials, ceramics, mortar additives, and welds, among others. GeoLED has the following equipment: mercury intrusion posimeter; salt fog simulator; equipment for large-scale confined compression (rockfill and ceramic) with temperature and leaching control; accelerated aging chamber (UV and condensation); continuous Soxhlet leaching device for rockfill and ceramic; Micro-Deval apparatus; Los Angeles abrasion machine; and slake durability test apparatus. GeoLED works in partnership with a number of private and public research funding institutions (CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, FINEP, FURNAS, ANEEL and Huesker) and carries out joint studies with the research group in Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering of the School of Engineering of the University of Porto, as well as joint research with PUC-Rio, COPPE-UFRJ, USP-São Carlos (SP) and the Huesker company of Brazil.
Geotechnical Field Tests Workshop
The Geotechnical Field Tests Workshop has the following equipment: 20Kv generator set; set of diamond-tipped rock samplers; piezocone device with trailer; hydraulic soil puncher; wireless data acquisition system; and Guelph permeameter.
Workshop for Special Tests in Soil Mechanics
The Workshop for Special Tests in Soil Mechanics has the following equipment: 3 triaxial presses with a servomechanism, accessories for non-saturated and liquefaction tests, and a data acquisition system (GDS); 1 servo controlled (GDS) triaxial Bishop-Wesley stress-path press, and accessories for non-saturated tests; 3 devices for direct shear tests with automatic data acquisition; 2 conventional thickeners; Guelph permeameter; direct shear equipment; ring shear device; and constant and variable load permeability devices. The recently acquired GDS thermal triaxial testing system is the only one of its kind in Brazil conducting temperature-controlled triaxial tests for studies aimed at the thermal improvement of soft soils applied to offshore platform anchoring.
Structures Workshop
The Structures Workshop has a 65 m2 concrete reaction plate with 60 load application points and a 50 tf load capacity per application point. The following equipment is also available to use in the slab: MTS hydraulic unit; 2 MTS 500 kN hydraulic actuators; two 24-channel Lynx data acquisition systems; National Instruments acquisition system. The Structures Workshop also conducts PPGEC studies and those of other UENF programs and institutions, using a Shimadzu 500 kN servo-controlled universal mechanical testing machine and a concrete producing unit consisting of a drained slab, 150-liter concrete mixer; 250-liter concrete mixer; vibrating table, immersion vibrator; grinder to level the bottom of the test specimens; and curing units.
Cementitious and Pozzolanic Materials Workshop (Center of Excellence in Cementitious Materials – Nexmat)
Nexmat, which was built between 2013 and 2015 with funds provided by FAPERJ via a program to foster the creation of centers of excellence in research (PRONEX E-26/110.892/201), uses a wide range of equipment and techniques in the production and characterization of high-performance cementitious systems. Nexmat has the following equipment: Rigaku X-ray diffractometer for quantitative measures (Rietveld´s method); isothermal calorimeter with two microprocessed channels; device to test pozzolanic activity using electrical conductivity; two chemical retraction devices (‘Le Chatelier’); complete set for reading autogenous shrinking strain and drying shrinking strain; ultrasound for monitoring hydration, Nanosizer laser nanoparticle analyzer; muffle furnace with total flame control; microprocessed bath for thermal curing; Brookfield rheometer for rheologic characterization of cementitious systems. Nexmat enjoys international cooperation and has a number of ongoing projects with funding from the CNPq, FAPERJ and the Municipal Government of Goytacazes. In Brazil, joint studies have been conducted with researchers from the Aeronautics Technological Institute (ITA-SP), UNESP-Ilha Solteira (SP), State University of Feira de Santana (BA) and COPPE-UFRJ (RJ).
Soil Mechanics Workshop
The Soil Mechanics Workshop conducts all the program’s experimental and has the following equipment: digital precision scales; set of sieves; densimeters; pycnometers; compaction cylinders; liquid limit device (Casagrande); soil disperser; oven; soil augers and probes; water level gauges; Osterberg and Shelby samplers.
Numerical Modeling Workshop
The Numerical Modeling Workshop caters to both two study areas and has 25 dedicated machines, 5 computers and several engineering programs (Rocscience Suite, Ansys, Abaqus, Plaxis-VIP, and MatLab, among others).
Reduced Model Workshop (Geotechnical Centrifuge)
The Reduced Model Workshop has a large 100g centrifuge (100 times the speed of gravity), the only one of this size in Latin America. The workshop conducts research on the physical and numerical modeling of geotechnical problems. In addition to the totally operational 100g centrifuge, the workshop has the following equipment: MTS servo-controlled hydraulic system; High-speed camera (1000 fps); 50t press to consolidate large samples; and two National Instruments wireless data acquisition systems. There is also an image analysis laboratory with a He-Ne laser for transparent soil tests, a technique being developed in some of the world’s advanced research centers that addresses problems related to shallow and deep foundations, pipelines, pavements and other geotechnical problems. The laboratory also has an antivibration table, a National Instruments control and automation system, a high-frequency data acquisition system, high-speed camera for particle image velocimetery (PIV) analysis and a vacuum saturation and sample preparation system. The workshop conducts projects funded by FAPERJ and the CNPq, in addition to research and development projects in collaboration with Petrobras. It also carries out joint studies with researchers from the University of California-San Diego, USP-São Carlos and COPPE-UFRJ.
Mechanical Support Workshop
The Mechanical Support Workshop conducts research and has general tools and equipment, as well as a CNC machining center with numerical command, a milling machine and a lathe.