The Institute of Materials and Constructions. Technology and durability of materials and constructed systems.
The Technology and durability unit focuses on construction material as a whole.
A comprehensive understanding of construction materials allows professional operators working in the unit to make informed and responsible choices.
The main fields of operation are:
- Supervision and specialist consulting services in the field of construction material and quality control.
- Studies on the durability and corrosion of construction materials.
- Applied research into the optimization of the properties of materials.
Services provided relate mainly to the fields of construction material quality and durability control, and to studies into the conservation condition of artefacts, particularly those made from precompressed reinforced concrete. The unit also works on the identification of the microstructural properties of materials and on the prevention of corrosion. Another key field of operations consists of damage analyses and survey reports.
The key services provided by this unit of the Institute include:
- Fresh and hardened concrete resistance to compression and bending, elasticity module, contraction, permeability, porosity, chloride content, carbonation depth, sclerometric index.
- Fresh and hardened mortars resistance to compression and bending, apparent volumetric mass of fresh mortar, injection suitability, adhesion, particle size measurement.
- Chemical testing efflorescence and soluble ion analyses, microchemical testing.
- Material durability analyses by means of accelerated aging tests.
- Analyses and sampling of aggregates, binding materials, soils.
- Analyses of the corrosion condition of infrastructures.Direct tensile test on a brick-mortar system.
- Material selection consulting services.
- G4 Zero carbon building
Contact
Company: Institute of Materials and Constructions. Department of Construction, Environment and Design. University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland.
Type of Organisation: University
Country: Switzerland
Web: https://www.supsi.ch/imc/settori-attivita/tecnologia-durabilita.html
Telephone: +41(0)58 666 63 93
Brief description of my Organisation
The Institute of Materials and Constructions, part of the Department of Environment Construction and Design at SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland), is a reference point for students and for all those working professionally in the construction sector. The Institute also has a Materials Documentation Centre (CDM) supporting its materials science teaching activities.
In the course of its research and service-provision activities, the IMC conducts in-depth studies on a large number of topics divided into the following units:
- Materials and structures
- Technology and durability
- Building diagnostics
- Conservation and restoration
- Architectural heritage
IMC activities are addressed toward engineering and architecture offices, companies, industries and public organisations operating in the field of construction materials and cultural heritage. IMC contributions help SUPSI to accomplish its institutional mandates:university education, continuing education, applied research and service provision, continuously revising
its didactic programme by drawing on the experience matured in the course of these research and serviceprovision activities. With regard to bachelor and master courses, researchers and technical collaborators teach primarily in the civil engineering, architecture, conservation and restoration and mechanical engineering programmes.
