The Construction Materials Laboratory counts with a work area of 2,050 square feet and 1,670 square feet in an open area. These provide a convenient and comfortable space to perform tests on materials used in construction. Its usage is shared, serving the academia in education and research and offering services to the private and public enterprise.
In the academic aspect, students from the undergraduate course INCI 4035 – Civil Engineering Materials receive practical experiences in the most common tests used in the characterization of materials. Another academic aspect is the support provided by the facilities for extracurricular activities. Students associations participate in various student competitions, where the development of these projects takes place in the laboratory. The most popular ones are performed by student chapters of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The competitions of the ACI are: Egg Protector Device, Concrete Bowling Ball, FRP Reinforced Beam, Mortar Cubes. The most important project of the ASCE is the construction of a concrete canoe. However, all types of competitions that have to do with concrete, wood, and metals are developed. These include: Concrete Frisbee, Concrete Horse Shoe, Concrete Dome, Balsa Wood Tower and Bridge, Concrete Beam, and others.
Other usages of the laboratory are the accomplishment of research projects in the field of concrete or others innovative materials like materials composed in construction. The majority of these projects are prepared with the coordination and support of the Structures Laboratory.
The laboratory also provides services of testing materials to private and public enterprises. The most common tests are cylinder testing, concrete core removal, aggregate evaluation mortar testing, and others (See List of Testing).