The aim of the project is to significantly improve the teaching of courses in construction materials and structural engineering analysis and design by utilizing modern testing and data processing equipment. Specifically, a MTS 600 kip stationary universal testing machine and two DEC Vax Station 200 workstations will be acquired. The equipment will permit the testing of modern high strength construction materials and can accommodate large- scale experiments on beams, columns and slabs to demonstrate physical concepts discussed in the classroom. The workstations will be used in conjunction with the testing machine to allow the students to compare effects of modelling assumptions in their theoretical analyses with results observed from experiments conducted simultaneously in the laboratory. Students planning to work in structural design or construction must obtain an understanding of the strength and behavior of the materials and structures which they will deal with in their professional lives so that they can gauge the importance of their analytical modelling decisions.
