Centers Services and Testing

Laboratory Services
The Built Environment and Structural Systems Center (BESSC) provides the following services:
•    Conduct fundamental research into the strength, fatigue resistance, serviceability, and safety of built environment and structural systems.
•    Applied research to assess the suitability of various structural components and systems for different services.
•    Testing built environment and structural systems using the shake table to replicate the historical earthquake ground motion records.
•    Testing for dynamic characteristics of structures, buildings, and assemblies.
•    Structural tests using large-scale models of high-rise buildings, underground storage facilities, portions of beam-column frame systems, walls, bridge piers, abutments, towers, and other structures.
•    Structural tests for materials and members used in large-space construction methods, underground construction methods, and ultra-high-strength reinforced concrete structures.
•    Conduct experiments on novel materials such as fiber-reinforced concrete, and ultra-high-strength steels.
•    Conduct mock-up tests of unique building approaches such as hybrid frames concrete-filled tubular steel (CFT) columns and voided slab systems.