Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 1 session / week, 2 hours / session
Instructor
Dr. John T. Germaine
Laboratory Sessions
- Scheduled for two hours on Wednesday but this will change after the first lecture.
- Perform laboratory assignments in small (3 to 5 person) groups.
- Will meet in various rooms depending on experiment.
- We will send you email when the lab material is available.
- Read the material before the laboratory and be prepared to do the work.
Objectives
- Make measurements of behavior of various materials used in Civil Engineering.
- Provide physical observations to complement concepts learned in 1.030.
- Introduce experimental procedures and common measurement equipment.
- Exposure to a variety of established material testing techniques.
Conduct of the Course
- Each of the ten assignments will be done in small groups.
- Data will be made available electronically after each lab.
- Each person will use the data and prepare an individual report.
- The report will be due about one week after the lab session. (We will provide specific dates.)
- The report will be graded based on clarity, data interpretation, and presentation.
Requirements
- Attend lectures (short description of experiments).
- Ten laboratory assignments (90%).
- Participation, preparation, subjective evaluation, etc. (10%).
Laboratory Safety
- You must sign the safety form in order to work in our laboratories.
Reference Materials
- Each lab assignment will include specific reading assignments.
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Annual Book of ASTM Standards (post 2000).
Administration of Each Laboratory Experiment
No. 1: Data Acquisition and Instruments
- 30 minute group (Monday or Wednesday) session for overview
- 90 minute subgroup session to make measurements
- Take all the data at the end of your session
No. 2: Tension I - Elastic Behavior
- 30 minute group session to learn about machine
- 60 minute (maybe less) subgroup session to test
- 30 minute individual unscheduled wrap up
- Data posted at end of each session
No. 3: Tension II - Failure of Common Materials
- 90 minute subgroup session to test
- 30 minute individual unscheduled wrap up
- Data posted at end of each session
No. 4: Direct Shear - Frictional Behavior
- 30 minute group session to discuss equipment
- 90 minute subgroup session to test
- Data posted at end of each session
No. 5: Concrete I - Early Age Properties
- 2 hour pre-scheduled group session (wear old cloths)
No. 6: Compression - Directionality
- 30 minute group session to discuss equipment
- 90 minute subgroup session to test
- 30 minute individual unscheduled wrap up
- Data posted at end of each session
No. 7: Concrete II - Compression and Indirect Tension
- 90 minute subgroup session to test
- 30 minute individual unscheduled wrap up
- Data posted at end of each session
No. 8: Soil Classification
- 2 hour group session to test
- All data posted at end of week
No. 9: Consolidation Test (Partial Experiment)
- 90 minute group session to test
- All data posted at end of week
No. 10: Tension III - Heat Treatment
- Five subgroup lab visits the week before to heat treat the specimens
- 90 minute subgroup session to test
- 30 minute individual unscheduled wrap up
- Data posted at end of each session
Civil Engineering Facilities
Room 1: Machine Shop
Room 2: Loading Frames: 200,000 lb Balbwin, 60,000 lb Baldwin, 20,000 lb Instron
Room 3: Concrete Fabrication Lab
Room 4: Soil Structure Interaction, Earth Dams, Centrifuge
Room 5: Perini Lab - Structural Elements, etc.
Room 6: Compaction, Grain Size, Ovens
Room 7: General Open Space, Permeability, Scales
Room 8: Triaxial, Constant Rate of Loading, Permeability
Room 9: Hand Tools, Calibration Equipment
Room 10: Humid Room / Soil Sample Preparation
Room 11: Consolidation, Direct Shear
Laboratory Rules
- Read Safety Precautions and sign the list.
- Return all equipment and tools to storage areas when not in use or at end of day.
- Ask when in doubt; an incorrect guess may be dangerous or expensive.
- Do not alter any item without explicit permission of the instructor.
Learning Objectives
Top Learning Objectives
You should learn about:
- Planning an experimental program, selecting the test configuration, selecting the test specimens and collecting raw data.
- Documenting the experimental program including the test procedures, collected data, method of interpretation and final results.
- Operating the laboratory equipment including the electronic instrumentation, the test apparatus and the data collection system.
- Measuring physical properties of common structural and geotechnical construction materials.
- Interpreting the laboratory data including conversion of the measurements into engineering values and derivation of material properties (strength and stiffness) from the engineering values.
- Observing various modes of failure in compression, tension, and shear.
- Observing various types of material behavior under similar loading conditions.
Measurable Outcomes (Assessment Methods; Laboratory Reports, 1.030 Quiz, Personal Evaluation)
You should be able to:
- Calibrate electronic sensors
- Operate a data acquisition system
- Operate various types of testing machines
- Configure a testing machine to measure tension or compression behavior
- Compute engineering values (eg. stress or strain) from laboratory measures
- Analyze a stress versus strain curve for modulus, yield and strength
- Identify modes of failure
- Describe the frictional behavior of soils
- Classify soils according to the USCS system
- Proportion a concrete mix to meet specific design requirements
- Describe the directional strength variation of an anisotropic material
- Evaluate the time rate of deformation of fine grained soils
- Specify the necessary heat treating to obtain the desired steel properties
- Write a technical laboratory report
Laboratory Ethics
Here are some practical applications of OUR Golden Rule:
- If you open, close it.
- If you turn it on, turn it off.
- If you unlock it, lock it.
- If you break it, repair it.
- If you can’t fix it, call in someone who can.
- If you borrow it, return it.
- If you use it, take care of it.
- If you make a mess, clean it up.
- If you move it, put it back.
- If it belongs to somebody else and you want to use it, get permission.
- If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.
- If it doesn’t concern you, don’t mess with it.
Laboratory Precautions
- Wear Eye Protection when working with power tools or testing specimens in compression.
- Ask when in doubt - mistakes are expensive.
- Do not apply higher input voltage to transducer than rated value.
- Do not apply input voltage to output leads (green and white) of transducer.
- Check input voltage before plugging in transducer.
- Disconnect transducer before turning on or off power supplies or voltmeters.
- Never close a valve connected directly to a transducer.
- Monitor transducer output when making physical connections.
- Do not wash plexiglass in detergent, use kerosene.
