Facilities
CEE has multiple laboratories for study and research.
Construction Materials Laboratory
The Construction Materials Laboratory is used for instruction and for performing research on such materials as asphalt and asphalt concrete, portland cement concrete, soil and aggregate stabilization agents, and for testing the structural integrity of materials in general The laboratory encompasses 2,850 square feet and is subdivided into different rooms and functional areas. These include a bituminous testing room, a temperature-controlled humidity room, an area for material/mix design and strength tests. Among other test equipment, this laboratory includes a Tinius-Olsen, 400,000 lb. Universal Testing apparatus.
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Environmental Laboratory
Both office space and laboratory facilities exist in the UNO Engineering Building. Other laboratory facilities are also utilized in other departments and buildings (Biology, Chemistry, etc.). Analytical instrumentation and equipment capabilities include GC and GC-MS with data systems, total organic carbon analyzer, Alpaca Auto Analyzer, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, etc. Laboratory scale pilot units for activated sludge, granular activated waste carbon, sand filtration, etc., are available in the environmental laboratory. Automatic samplers, flow monitors and other field survey equipment and instrumentation are also available.
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Geotechnical Laboratory
The Geotechnical Laboratory is located on the first floor of the nine story UNO Engineering Building. It encompasses 2,900 square feet and is subdivided into rooms for general activities and specialty tests. The laboratory has external access for receiving soil samples or truck-mounted equipment. Facilities for environmentally controlled sample storage or test preparation are available. Test capabilities include instrumentation for measuring the physical and engineering properties of soils; such as classification, compaction, permeability, compressibility, strength, etc. The available equipment provides for routine tests as well as sophisticated research test procedures. The laboratory is linked to the UNO VAX cluster.
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GIS and Spatial Analysis Laboratory
The Geographic and Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GSAL) of the Urban Waste Management and Research Center (UWMRC) is used for support in various areas of environmental research. The technology of geographic information systems (GIS) is a powerful tool for use in conducting environmental management and research activities. Geographical information and image processing systems provide a spatial modeling environment for research and applications in resource planning and management. The EIKONIX 1400 Series Digital Imaging Camera System can scan transparent and opaque photographs, line art, and three dimensional objects and convert them to digital data that can be stored, analyzed, and manipulated.
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Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Laboratory
The HWRENG Laboratory is located on the southwestern side of the first floor of the Engineering Building to provide external access for special materials and equipment delivery. The laboratory is designed to house basic instruction units for undergraduate classes, a multi-purpose tilting flume (2' W x 3' D x 72' L) for applied and basic research in the general areas of hydraulics and coastal engineering, and specializing set-ups to meet local and national industrial needs.
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Physical Facilities
Space
- Lab Area: 3,440 square feet
- Office: 160 sq. ft.
- Storage: 170 sq. ft
Flow
- Circulation Pump: Up to 5,000 GPM at 10 ft. Head
- Constant Head Tank-Pump: Up to 3,000 GPM at 30 ft. Hd.
Experimental Facilities for Instruction
- Wave Flume
- Wave Basin
- Surface Water-Mobile Bed Channel Rainfall-Runoff-Groundwater (Basic Hydrology Unit)
Research Facilities and Computation Capabilities
- Multi-Purpose Tilting Flume: 2' wide x 3' deep x 72' long
- Slope: Up to ± 5%.
- Laser Velocimeter: 2-Dimensional 2-Components provided with frequency shift capabilities and a traverse.
- Large Scale Permeability Testing Loop.
- Connected to the UNO VAX Network.
Mechanics of Materials Laboratory
This lab features equipment for testing tension, hardness, dynamic sheer, and other physical forces. There is also a Torsion Test Apparatus and a Tinius-Olsen testing machine for determining the mechanical properties of metals, plastics and composites.
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Structures Laboratory
Static and/or dynamic testing of structural components ranging in size from small specimens to full-scale beams and trusses may be performed with ease. The overall dimensions of the lab are 100-feet long by 40-feet wide and 25-feet high. A storage and shop area with mezzanine observation and office space are located at one end of the lab. At the other end, a 9-foot wide by 12-foot high roll-up door is located to provide access for trucks delivering large specimens or full-size beams. The lab is equipped with a 20-ton overhead bridge crane that may be used for loading, unloading or moving specimens within the lab area
The laboratory floor is capable of resisting gravity loads as well as uplift forces, and is usually referred to as a Reaction Floor. The term Reaction Floor is derived from the fact that the floor is utilized to resist reactions from test specimens whether these forces are downward (gravity), or upward (uplift). A grid of tie-down points 5-feet on center covers an area of 15-feet by 50-feet of the laboratory floor. Each tie-down point is capable of resisting a vertical uplift force of 20 tons. In order to secure the tie-down hardware, a basement area is provided under the laboratory which provides access to the underside of the lab floor.
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Topographic Engineering and Photogrammetric Laboratory
The photogrammetric instrumentation is used for undergraduate and graduate instruction as well as research. Research includes close-range Naval Architecture applications to obtain hull offsets from shipyard (dry dock) photography and stereo photos of models under dynamic test in the Tow Tank. The instrumentation is used for Forensic Photogrammetry (such as accident and explosion reconstruction). Both analytical and analogical analysis techniques are used to realize the capability of extreme convergent restitution. A Universal 9" x 9" Stereoplotter is used for analog plotting, one-micrometer comparators (up to 9' x 18') are used for analytical applications with point-transfer operations being done with two one-micrometer accuracy MicroMarks. The instrumentation is capable of producing reliable dimensions from practically any type of perspective imagery (photographs) if the imagery is obtained from two or more different positions.
Traditional applications in Civil Engineering include Analytical Aerotriangulation (Bundle Adjustment), Topographic Mapping, Planimetric Mapping (Wetlands, Tax Mapping, etc.). Digitizers (Encoders) have been fitted for Automated Mapping (CAM) applications in a research environment.