Title: Engineers without borders & CIEST student concrete clinic

Year: 2024

Participants: Engineers without borders, CIEST

Summary:

In the spring of 2024 CIEST hosted a student tutorial for the non-profit, Engineers without Borders or EWB. The tutorial was aimed at giving students experience making concrete before a trip to Nepal. The following video contains some of this process . The non-profit, EWB, is an organization that goes to regions with limited access to building materials and creates infrastructure for underdeveloped towns and villages. We at CIEST were exited to be a part of Engineers without Border's mission, and would like to give special thanks to Rebecca Komarek, and Cayden Stratford for their help organizing the clinic.

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Project Title: Hoop Tensile Test

Industry Partner: PSI Lab

CIEST Personnel Participants: John Hindman

Year: 2022

Project Summary:

The CIEST Laboratory successfully completed testing pipe liner samples for “apparent hoop tensile strength” as described in ASTM D2290. The method uses a split disk to apply tensile forces to a hoop or ring specimen cut from a pipe. Like a standard tensile test specimen, the hoop specimen also has an area of reduced width so that the failure should occur in a desired location. Load is applied at a constant rate of travel until a break occurs. The strength of the specimen is calculated based on the force at break and the cross-sectional area of the reduced area.

The test was performed on one of the CIEST Laboratory’s hydraulic-actuated test frames. We were glad to be able to perform these tests for an independent commercial laboratory. The size and strength of the particular samples tested required the use of a larger test machine, which we were able to provide. 

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Year: 2018

Industry Participants: Prescient Co. Inc., J. R. Harris & Co., Ramtech Labortories,  Hilti Corp.

Primary Investigator: Dr. Brad Wham

Summary: Structural assessment of cold-formed steel diaphragm assemblies was conducted in accordance with AISI S907. The cantilever-style tests were performed on 12 x 12 ft (3.7 x 3.7 m) square specimens and included both static and cyclic test protocols. Displacements exceeding ± 5 in. (12.7 cm) were applied to capture peak and residual strength of the joist/deck/fastener assembly, providing data relevant to system evaluation for seismically active regions. 

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Full Project Title: Industrial Trial with Forterra for the Incorporation of Metal-Laden Granular Activated Carbon in Concrete Formulations for the Inhibition of Biogenic Corrosion in Concrete Sewer Pipelines

Year: 2018

Participants: Prof. Mark T. Hernandez, Prof. Wil Srubar III, Ismael Justo-Reinoso, Alejandro Caicedo-Ramirez and Forterra personnel

Primary Investigator: Prof. Mark T. Hernandez

Summary: A new generation of smart product formulations has been developed for the inhibition of biogenic corrosion for piping systems where extreme corrosion rates have been historically observed. Granular activated carbon loaded with heavy metals is used as an admixture in concrete and cement mortars formulations for the inhibition of microbially induced concrete corrosion (MICC). The principal objective of this project is to translate the already successful obtained laboratory results to a practice in an industrial trial jointly with Forterra, which is an international company that is dedicated to the fabrication of concrete sewer pipelines and manholes.

Image to right: Materials previously weighed in the laboratory and ready for the elaboration of four concrete formulations

Concrete cylinders during the curing process in lime-water at the laboratory

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Full Project Title: Experimental characterization of visco-elasto-plastic response of polyurethanes for damage-resistant structures

Year: 2016

Participants: Mohammad Taghi Nikoukalam, Prof. Petros Sideris and Derek Carpenter

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Full Project Title: Nanoparticle Injection Technology for Remediating Leaks of CO₂ Storage Formation

Year: 2017

Participants: Yige Zhang, Prof. Mija Hubler

Sponsor: DOE-NETL

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Year: 2016

Participants: Shahlaa Al Wakeel, Prof. Mija Hubler

Summary: An experimental investigation of matrix inclusions on the fracture toughness of composite material was conducted at CIEST

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Year: 2016

Participants: Eric Heichelheim, Harish Gadde, Prof. Mija Hubler, Prof. Lupita Montoya

Sponsor: CU Boulder See

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Course: CVEN 3161 - Mechanics of Materials, and CVEN 4161/5161 – Mechanics of Materials II

Year: Annually

Participants: Undergraduate and graduate students, Prof. Yunping Xi and Prof. Mija Hubler

Summary: CIEST assists Mechanics of Materials I and II in their practical labs. various metal and concrete samples are tested under various loading scenarios as groups of students observe. This gives students a real-world connection to their studies.
 

Image to right: Steel, brass, and aluminum specimens after being axially loaded in tension to rupture in the Instron Universal Testing Machine.

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Year: 2016

Participants: Paul Bennet, Prof. Wil Srubar and Derek Carpenter

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