posted on 11/05/2012
The William Rankine Building – Home of the University of Edinburgh’s Structural Engineering Research Group and the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering
The University of Edinburgh's Structural Engineering Research Group has recently completed a substantial upgrade of materials and structural testing capabilities. Researchers at Edinburgh regularly conduct mechanical, material and thermal tests on a wide range of specimens. These tests range from simple coupon strength tests, to large-scale bespoke tests of structural elements under complicated loads. In many cases these tests are associated with research activities within the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, also housed at Edinburgh.
Edinburgh’s recently refurbished Structures Test Hall is a high-headroom laboratory for testing large and unusual structural assemblies. The strong floor and reconfigurable reaction frame systems give great versatility in the types and scales of tests that can be carried out. Recent installation of state of the art Instron actuator systems allows for applying two independent loads on different axes under precise computer control. The new systems include Instron 1000kN and 250kN fatigue rated dynamic actuators, complete with an Instron 8800 Multi-axis Controller running Instron’s WaveMatrix multi-axis dynamic testing software.
New Instron actuators installed within the Structures Testing Hall at the University of Edinburgh
In addition to enhanced structural testing capabilities, Edinburgh researchers also have a range of Universal Testing Machines. Use of these includes strength tests on standard concrete and steel specimens, shear-friction tests on masonry, creep tests on steel at high temperatures, and beam tests. In addition to pre-existing 50kN Instron Model 3369 and 100kN Instron Model 4505 electromechanical testing frames, a bespoke Instron Model 600LX servo-hydraulic mechanical testing frame, with an integrated environmental chamber and Bluehill software for testing materials and small-scale assemblies at temperatures up to 600C and loads of up to 600kN, has recently been installed and commissioned within Edinburgh’s Structural Fire Engineering Laboratory.
New Instron 600LX testing frame with integrated environmental chamber installed within the Fire Safety Engineering Laboratory extension at the University of Edinburgh
These recent upgrades to structural testing capabilities make the University of Edinburgh Scotland’s premier large scale structural testing facility. For more information please contact Dr Tim Stratford [tim.stratford@ed.ac.uk] or Dr Luke Bisby [luke.bisby@ed.ac.uk].