URI engineering students to do real-world tests

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Civil engineering students at the University of Rhode Island will soon take to the roadways. They will apply what they have learned in the classroom in real-world analyses of bridges, buildings and other structures, thanks to the creation of a mobile-testing laboratory.
Funded with a $95,500 Champlin Foundations grant, the Structural Monitoring and Remote Testing Laboratory includes high-tech instrumentation and processing power necessary to measure and analyze structures in natural conditions.
Among the equipment in the lab is a laser Doppler vibrometer, which measures the speed and displacement of a vibrating structure; various gauges that assess the stress, strain and loading on a structure; and an impulse hammer that measures how much force is applied in tests under controlled conditions. Also available are accelerometers, linear variable differential transducers and a portable weigh-in-motion system.
The R.I. Department of Transportation, which supported the grant application, also benefits from the new lab. When students prepare to conduct bridge tests, they coordinate with DOT engineers who identify particular bridges they would like tested. &#8226