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Building Materials Laboratory

The Building Materials Laboratory has a long history in working with moisture and durability related research. The lab is also used in education of civil engineers, fire safety engineers and architects. We have large laboratory facilities and a wide range of equipment including e.g. climate chambers, sorption balances, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) as well as a concrete and mortar laboratory.

In-house expertise

Our competence covers a large range of materials including cement based material, wood and other biobased materials. Our research is mainly focused on moisture related properties and durability of materials.  

User skill requirements

For some instruments, an external user can use the instrument themselves after an introduction of the equipment. For other instruments, our staff need to assist.

Equipment

  • Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) – Model: Mettler Toledo DSC3+ with sample robot. Temperature interval -90 till 500 °C.
  • Concrete laboratory with concrete mixers, vibrating tables and rods, standard steel forms, curing baths and a diamond saw and core drills for taking out samples
  • Mortar laboratory with two sieve stations, a standard Hobart mixer and several small mixers.
  • Freezers for e.g. testing of frost damage. Temperature cycles can be programmed.
  • Climate chamber CTS C-20/1000. Temperature range: -20 °C to 180 °C; relative humidity range: 10-98%.
  • Climate rooms
  • Sorption balances/Dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) for measurement of sorption isotherms. We have 6 sorption balances from Surface Measurement Systems Ltd: 2 DVS Advantage, 1 DVS 1000, 2 DVS Intrinsic and 1 DVS Resolution.
  • A HotDisk 1500 that simultaneously measures thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of solid samples.
  • Pressure plate laboratory with pressure plate and pressure membrane cells.
  • Precision Humidity Chamber Thunder 2500 for calibration of relative humidity sensors
  • Free free resonant column for measurement of eigenfrequency of materials.
  • Several drying cabinets
  • Analytical balances

Typical customers/users

Researchers and companies working with product development.

Fees

Fees are available on request.

Insurance and safety

Users are required to go through lab safety with our staff and sign a “check-in” document before working in the lab.

Contact information

Stefan Backe

E-mail: stefan.backe@byggtek.lth.se
Tel. +46 46 222 74 16

Peter Johansson

E-mail: peter.johansson@byggtek.lth.se

Page Manager: linnea.ekman@ebd.lth.se | 2023-09-01