Testing Equipment

• 5-ton Over Head Crane
• Load Floor/Reaction Wall
• 100-kip Structural Actuator *
• 200-kip Actuator in Custom Frame **
• 0.5 -inch LVDT with Conditioning
• Computer Data Acquisition

* Structural Actuators are "stand alone" hydraulic pistons inserted into experiments as necessary.  This one, testing the lateral strength of highway glare screens made of recycled plastic, is bolted to a 2-foot thick, very stiff, reinforced concrete reaction wall allowing both tensile and compressive loads to be applied to the specimen.  It will be used to apply lateral loads to specimens in conjunction with our new 200 kip system.

** Designed by our professors to be both versatile and stiff, shoehorned into the high head space of our Structures Lab, this system allows us to test larger and stronger structural specimens than ever before.  The dual channel TestStar Controller is able to control both the 100 kip and 200 kip actuators in coordination with each other or independently.

Research Project

• Development of Thermal Studs for Residential Construction
• Simulated Wind Loads on NJ Residential Construction
• Mechanical Testing of Plastic Glarescreen for NJ Highways