New research facility

The aggregates industry is getting a little more serious about materials testing. The University of Texas at Arlington and Hanson just announced that they will jointly develop a new research center for full-scale testing of heavy building materials. The UT-Arlington Center for Structural Engineering Research will be built in Grand Prairie, 10 miles east of the UT-Arlington campus. The center will have about 10,000 square feet of conference, classroom and office space, and about 20,000 square feet of research space. The research area will contain several 200-ton dynamic actuators, nano and laser sensor and image processing devices. A reaction floor will allow university researchers to test several full-size building and bridge components simultaneously with dynamic fire and blast loads. While the International Center for Aggregates Research, a joint operation of The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, has been a mainstay for the industry, it is always refreshing to see new dollars being pumped into industry research efforts. Your comment?