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Concrete Laboratory




Contact Information

Lab in Charge :Prof. Hazeena R.Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Contact No : 9495974946
Email id : hazeenarrasheed@tkmce.ac.in
Assistant Lab in Charge: Prof. Shefeena N., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Contact No : 9400607655
Email id : nshefeena@tkmce.ac.in

The lab mainly caters to the needs of the undergraduate students, post graduate students and the research scholars to conduct the experiments related to concrete and other construction materials such as tiles, cement, aggregates.
Concrete laboratory has sufficient space for testing facilities with a separate casting and stacking yard provided adjacent to the main lab. The laboratory is primarily equipped to cater the academic needs of students of undergraduate, postgraduate and research leading to Ph. D. Various characterization tests as per the relevant codes and specification are done in the laboratory. The quality of construction materials including raw materials for making concrete and testing and evaluation of finished building materials such as concrete blocks, flooring tiles, paving blocks are undertaken by the lab for external agencies. The lab is also equipped with necessary testing equipment for the non-destructive evaluation of quality of construction. This includes rebound hammer and pulse velocity methods. Partial destructive testing of finished concrete structural elements are also possible by conducting tests on cores taken from site.


The list of experiments undertaken as part of the curriculum include:

1. TEST ON CEMENT

  • a. Fineness
  • b. Standard Consistency
  • c. Initial & Final Setting Time
  • d. Specific Gravity
  • e. Soundness
  • f. Preparation of Cement mortar cubes

2. TEST ON AGGREGATES

  • a. Particle Size Distribution of Fine & Coarse Aggregates
  • b. Specific Gravity & Water Absorption of Coarse Aggregates

3. TEST ON FINE AGGREGATE

  • a. Bulking of Aggregate

4. A) TEST ON COARSE AGGREGATE

  • a. Bulk density, Void ratio & Porosity
  • B) TEST ON BRICKS AND CEMENT MORTAR CUBES
  • a. Compressive strength of burnt brick b. Water absorption of bricks
  • b. Compressive strength of cement mortar cubes

5. TEST ON FRESH CONCRETE

  • a. Workability test
  • i) Slump test, Compacting Factor, Vee - Bee, Flow Test
  • b. Preparation of Concrete Cubes, Cylinder and Beams

    • 6. TEST ON HARDENED CONCRETE – 1

  • i) Compressive strength of Concrete Cubs
  • ii) Modulus of elasticity of concrete
  • iii) Rebound Hammer test (Demo)

    • 7. TEST ON HARDENED CONCRETE – 2

    • i) Flexural Tensile Strength of concrete
  • ii) Split Tensile Strength (PCC & RCC Beams)

The major facilities of the laboratory are given below:

Equipment in the laboratory
Sl. No. Equipment Name Model No. Supplier Year of Purchase
1 Compression Testing Machine (3000 kN) 320 EAN2 AIMIL 2007 (3000 kN) 320 EAN2 AIMIL 2007 (3000 kN) 320 EAN2 AIMIL 2007
2 Digital Compression Testing Machine (2000 kN) 317E AIMIL 2006
3 Transverse Strength testing Machine 801068 APPIED RESERCH AND ENGINEERING Pvt.Ltd. 1981
4 Concrete Mixer (40 litre) AIMIL 1980, 2008
5 Mortar Mixer AIM 412-2 1982
6 Vibrating table 82090 AIMIL 1982
7 Slump test Apparatus
8 Vicat apparatus AIMIL
9 Compaction factor apparatus AIM 325 CC- II AIMIL 1964
10 Flow table AIM 410 AIMIL 2008
11 Auto clave AIM 408-1 2007
12 Rebound hammer Flexure testing Machine 100 kN 388 AIM 332 2014
13 Longitudinal compressometer AIM 372
14 Sieve shaker AIM-0541 AIMIL
15 Crack width measuring equipment FGO12082 2013

Details of Clients

The laboratory is actively involving in consultancy work for various government and non- government organisations. The major clients are:

    1. KMML, Chavara 2. Irrigation department 3. PWD 4. Nirmithi Kendram 5. CPWD 6. Southern Railway 7. BSNL 8. Kerala State Housing Board 9. Kerala State Construction Corporation 10. LSGD 11. Kollam Municipal Corporation 12. Harbour Engineering Department 13. Kerala Water Authority 14. NTPC, Cheppad 15. South Indian Construction 16. Uralungal Labour Contract Co Operative Society 17. KSEB, Kollam And Kottarakara

Major Consultancy activities
  • 1. Material testing and design of concrete mixes to meet various needs at the field (including pumpable concrete)
  • 2. Characteristic tests for concrete making materials
  • 3. Various physical tests on finished construction products such as concrete blocks for masonry work, paving blocks, ceramic and vitrified flooring tiles etc.
  • 4. Non-destructive tests to evaluate the strength of concrete in structures.
  • 5. Evaluation of reinforcement detailing on finished concrete structural elements.
Research Activities in the Laboratory

Various research activities are carried out and special testing setup are also developed in the laboratory for doing the research activities. The research activities in the lab include:

  • UG students utilize laboratory for undertaking design projects, mini projects and the main project
  • PG students utilize laboratory for undertaking thesis
  • Ph. D scholars carry out their research work. The On-going Ph. Ds are
    • 1) Durability and structural behaviour of alkali activated binder systems (AICTE- NDF)
    • 2) Development of test methods to assess acid attack on cement-based materials (AICTE-NDF)
    • 3) Structural aspects of stabilized mud concrete (AICTE-NDF)
    • 4) Flexural behaviour of structural glass (AICTE-QIP)
    • 5) Study on structural performance of hybrid fibre reinforced high performance