The Laboratory of the Building Materials research group is an advanced experimental facility dedicated to the characterization, performance assessment, and development of sustainable construction materials.

Experimental Infrastructure

The laboratory integrates controlled environmental exposure, mechanical testing, and advanced material characterization.

Mechanical Testing

• Compressive, tensile, and flexural strength testing
• Equipment for determining the thermal evolution of the hardening concrete
  
• Elastic modulus and deformation monitoring
• Equipment to determine shrinkage and creep properties of concrete.
  

Durability and Environmental Exposure

• Programmable freeze–thaw chambers (slab test)
• Climate-controlled conditioning room
• Moisture transport and permeability testing
• Salt-scaling and frost resistance assessment

Fresh-State and Reaction Monitoring

• Isothermal calorimetry (TamAir)
• Semiadiabatic calorimetry
• Rheology and workability characterization
• Setting time and early-age property evaluation

Microstructural and Chemical Characterization

• Microscopy-based analysis (SEM, optical)
• Phase and reaction product identification (SEM with EDX)
• 2D Pore structure (SEM with EDX)

Mechanical Processing and Powder Preparation

• Two planetary ball mills (Retsch PM 100) for fine grinding, mechanochemical activation, and binder development
• Industrial-scale high-energy ball mill for pilot-scale material processing

High-Temperature Processing

• Programmable high-temperature furnaces for thermal exposure and phase transformation studies
• Laboratory clinkering furnace for synthesis of experimental cementitious binders

Digital Fabrication and Additive Manufacturing

• CoreXY fused filament (FDM/FFF) polymer 3D printer for moulds, experimental components, and reinforcement prototypes
• Direct Ink Writing (DIW) 3D paste printer for studies of rheology and printable binders