Facilities and Specialized Laboratories

The lab is serving all undergraduate construction engineering students by supporting their education sequence of courses within the program.

The Lab computers are equipped with the last updated release of construction engineering software such as Primavera, AutoCAD, SAP, Etabs, Safe, Bentley, Midas, Crystal Ball, and SketchUp Pro)

Moreover, the lab includes state-of-the-art printing facilities to support the students in finalizing all materials related to the construction engineering courses.

The lab is used as an educational platform for some courses, such as CENG 446 and CENG 491, where specialized software is introduced and utilized.

The Construction method lab supports graduates and undergraduate students in research and manufacturing related activities. The lab is equipped with woodworking machines such as a table saw, a band saw, a planer, a small profiler and so on, which supports the students and researchers to facilitate their research. A small wood kiln is available, as well as a larger solar kiln (located nearby). The lab is also equipped with a small hydraulic compression testing machine as well as other related woodworking tools such as moisture meters and scales.

The lab also has a 2-axis CNC router capable of cutting large boards and the associated fabrication software. As such, the lab’s main purpose it support research in terms of prototyping and manufacturing of wood samples.

Soil supports structures and is used as a construction material in various civil engineering projects. The soil lab provides facilities for undergraduate and graduate courses as well as research in various areas of geotechnical engineering in senior graduation projects and master's theses. In Soils laboratory, students run experiments to study all soil physical and mechanical properties. The experiments include classification, grain-size distribution, specific gravity, and Atterberg limits; compaction and CBR; permeability; shear strength; consolidation and swelling. All tests are performed according to ASTM testing standards.

This lab serves advanced studies and research at senior graduation projects and masters theses. It encompasses two major systems: Superpave (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements) and MTS (Material Testing System). Superpave provides experiments needed to achieve the latest performance grading system. It includes the Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO) and the Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV), asphalt binder Brookfield Rotational Viscometer (RV) Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and the Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR). Tests were conducted according to ASTM and AASHTO testing specifications. The MTS and its environmental chamber open the door to numerous standard and design performance experiments for all construction materials.

The Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory Is equipped to examine the properties of fluids and to conduct experiments for incompressible fluid flow, which is a part of fundamental undergraduate course work.

Experimental Highlights

• Flow rate and velocity distribution in an open channel

• Hydraulic jump in open channel 

• Fluid properties, such as variations in density and surface tension

• Determination of the hydrostatic force acting on a plane surface immersed in water

• Verification of Bernoulli's theorem when applied to steady-state flow

• Investigation of the head loss due to friction in the flow of water through a pipe

• Investigation of the friction coefficient of the pipe

• Determination of the head/flow characteristics curve for a number of pump configurations:

  • Single Pump

  • Two Pumps in a series

  • Two Pumps in Parallel

Facility Highlights

• Hydraulic Flume (tilting open channel)

• Flowmeter

• hydraulic benches (water circulating flow benches with various test apparatus)

• Centrifugal pumps with instrumentation

• Pipe friction circulating flow apparatus

• Water hammer apparatus

The Surveying Laboratory has a wide variety of modern surveying equipment, for basic instructional and research purposes. The undergraduate students use the laboratory as part of their surveying coursework.

Moreover, the availability of the state of the art equipment such as a 3D laser scanner, allows undergraduate students to have a unique experience of being trained on such technology.
Students use the lab equipment after conducting appropriate safety training and instruction on the use and care for the equipment.

Facility Highlights

• 3D Laser Scanner 

• GNSS RTK system

• Total stations

• Theodolites

• Digital, automatic and tilt levels

The Structural Engineering Laboratory at The American University in Cairo (AUC) is a full-scale laboratory located at the School of Sciences and Engineering (P057) that serves a wide spectrum of activities related to teaching, research, development, and community services by providing experimental studies on a model/prototype of structural elements and assemblies under various static and dynamic loading conditions.

With the available test area, state-of-the-art load/displacement-controlled equipment for load application, precision instrumentation, data acquisition and monitoring, the laboratory represents a unique facility for large and full-scale investigation of the load-deformation behavior of structures, including their post-peak strength and deformability up to the failure, which is facilitated using:

• Strong floor and reaction wall

• Adjustable loading frame with spans up to 4 meters and height up to 6 meters

• Actuators, pumps and data loggers

• DTE dynamic actuator and data logger

• 5 tons overhead crane

• Monitoring room

• Pendulum impact testing frame

The aggregates laboratory was established with the objective of providing an appropriate environment for students to examine some basic properties of different construction materials, such as coarse aggregates and fine aggregates. Through various experiments, these properties are examined thoroughly. All tests are performed based on ASTM and AASHTO testing specifications. Aggregate sampling, as well as short and long-term testing, are conducted.

The asphalt Laboratory is equipped for sample preparation and evaluation of conventional testing of asphalt material such as penetration, softening point, extraction, flash point, and absolute and kinematic viscosities. The lab has standard capabilities for assessing asphalt mixture characteristics such as Marshall stability and flow. Tests based on ASTM and AASHTO testing specifications. The lab has also been equipped with an up-to-date, unique facility for SuperPave testing.

The concrete laboratory is used by undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers and the industry to produce test concrete specimens and carry out fresh, hardened and long-term concrete testing. The lab also has a full set for the testing of Portland cement. Teaching in the concrete lab includes mixing and testing concrete mixes designed by students. Students gain experience with the way concrete is mixed, transported, compacted and cured. All tests are performed based on ASTM, ACI and  AASHTO standards and specifications. The lab opens its doors to construction projects, including strategic ones, for quality assurance and testing of concrete produced.