The Structural Research Laboratory of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois has a long history of excellence in large-scale experimental structural research. Over the years has contributed greatly to the state-of-the-art in civil engineering. Completed in 1967 and extended in 1971, the structural testing area of the laboratory is a versatile area with a three-story clear height that can be used to carry out a wide range of tests of building materials, components, structural assemblies, and models. A reaction wall was added to the facility in 2004, which was sponsored by NEES.
Activities in the Student Instrumentation Workshop
Graduate and undergraduate students here are working on various projects in the Student Instrumentation Workshop.
Controlled Rocking of Steel-Framed Buildings with Replaceable Energy-Dissipating Fuses
Testing is being performed by Matt Eatherton and Professor Jerome Hajjar on an alternative lateral resisting system. The system uses replaceable fuses which absorb most of the structural damage in earthquake. Repair is relatively easy and less expensive than it would be in conventional lateral resisting systems.
