Auburn University Constructing $22 Million Advanced Structural Testing Laboratory

By Austin Phillips, Auburn University

Auburn University is taking a big step as a leader in structural engineering research and instruction through the construction of a $22 million Advanced Structural Testing Laboratory.

The 41,500-square-foot facility will include a high bay laboratory with specially engineered floors and walls capable of handling extreme structural testing loads; a geotechnical test chamber; a concrete materials research and testing laboratory; a wind testing facility, and faculty and graduate student spaces.

The 4,700-cubic-foot geotechnical test chamber is one of the few across the nation included in a university laboratory. It will allow students and faculty to conduct testing that has been possible only in the field until now on structures such as foundations, anchorages and towers. In addition, the wind testing facility will allow replication of the dynamic wind loads induced by hurricanes, tornadoes and other extreme wind events on large-scale specimens. These unusual features, and many more, will accelerate research aimed at reducing the impacts during extreme events, and increase lifespan and safety of structures under all loading conditions.

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