Acquisition of a Servo-Hydraulic Test System and Environmental Chamber for Research and Teaching in Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato

摘要：本次申请的仪器资金是用于MTS伺服液压负载测试系统和在明尼苏达州立大学曼卡托（MSU）土木工程项目建筑材料测试实验室建造一个环境室。密歇根州立大学土木工程专业成立不到三年，一直在建设实验室和教学设备，以提高该专业教师和学生的研究和教育机会。所要求的仪器将主要用于波特兰水泥和沥青水泥混凝土材料特性的研究，以及用于本科和继续教育和培训。材料表征研究将集中在三个方面：a)与路面和其他结构的机械设计相关的波特兰水泥和沥青水泥混凝土的性能；b)使用各种养护方法评估和控制混凝土中的水分蒸发；c)这些材料在寒冷气候下的疲劳特性。在这三个主题中，每一个都有一个研究重点领域，首先是招募对研究感兴趣的本科生在这些领域工作。有了这些仪器，密歇根州立大学的建筑材料测试实验室将有能力通过联邦公路管理局、国家公路合作研究计划、创新路面研究基金会和其他政府和非营利研究组织竞争国家研究项目。该实验室还将为教师提供更好的机会，与该地区和全国的其他研究人员合作，从而吸引教师和学生到密歇根州立大学任教和学习。

ABSTRACTThis request for instrumentation funding is for an MTS servo-hydraulic load test system and the construction of an environmental chamber in the Construction Materials Testing Laboratory of the civil engineering program at Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU). The civil engineering program at MSU began less than three years ago and has been building up laboratories and educational equipment to enhance the research and educational opportunities for the faculty and students in the program. The instrumentation requested will be used primarily for research in materials characterization of Portland cement and asphalt cement concrete, as well as for undergraduate and continuing education and training. The materials characterization research will focus on three areas: a) the properties of Portland cement and asphalt cement concrete that relate to mechanistic design of pavements and other structures, b) evaluation and control of evaporation of water from concrete using various curing methods, c) the fatigue characteristics of those materials in cold-weather climates. A research focus area in each of those three topics will be expected, beginning with the recruiting of undergraduate students interested in research to work in those areas. With the this instrumentation, the Construction Materials Testing Laboratory at MSU will have the capability to compete for national research projects through the Federal Highway Administration, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation, and other government and non-profit research organizations. The lab will also provide faculty with better opportunities to collaborate with other researchers in the region and the nation, and consequently to attract faculty and students to MSU to teach and study.