Researchers and students of the Department of Roads and Bridges of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Riga Technical University (RTU) are helped to predict the longevity of innovative road construction materials by equipment (pressure aging vessel PAV - and UV camera), which was purchased with the support of SIA «Mikrotīkls». Almost like the laboratory equipment, another machine has been added, which will allow to prepare high-quality samples of building materials for tests.
«We develop innovative road construction materials, test them for Latvian climatic conditions, build experimental road sections. Our research is published in the most prestigious scientific journals in the field. It is difficult to create high-quality science by basing research on low-quality samples,» says leading researcher of the Department of Roads and Bridges of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of RTU Viktors Haritonovs, showing the equipment for making high-precision samples. Currently, for material testing, samples of building materials are cut, for example, with a circular saw purchased at a building materials store, but in this way, it is not always possible to guarantee the required quality. The new equipment will make it possible to produce samples of asphalt concrete and concrete materials in the required shape and size with high accuracy. In addition, sawing in the machine will take place in a closed environment, which eliminates the possibility of injury.
It is intended that not only scientists and students of the Department of Roads and Bridges, but also colleagues of other institutes and faculties whose work is related to construction materials will use the delivered equipment for research. It will also be useful for the industry for material testing, says V. Haritonovs, adding that such high-precision samples cannot be obtained anywhere else in Latvia at the moment.
Two other machines, the purchase of which was also supported by SIA «Mikrotīkls», are already being actively used by scientists and students to age innovative building materials and determine their properties during long-term use. «Within 20 hours, we can simulate results equivalent to 10 years of material exploitation in the equipment,» explains the leading researcher. Such laboratory tests are vitally necessary in the development of technologies for the production of bitumen and asphalt. In recent years, RTU scientists have been actively developing and testing the properties of bitumen and asphalt concrete modified with a used car tire or recycled plastic additive, thereby reducing the impact of the road construction industry on the environment.
On the other hand, the Department of Polymer Materials Technology of the Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry of RTU has a device that simulates the behavior of materials under the influence of UV radiation. As V. Haritonovs explains, it helps predict the «behavior» of the material under the influence of the environment and weather conditions. The Department of Polymer Materials Technology cooperates with the scientists of the Department of Roads and Bridges, developing innovative road construction materials.
SIA «Mikrotīkls» has been a cooperation partner of RTU Development Fund since 2017. During these years, the company has donated more than 3.25 million euros for the modernization of RTU laboratories, infrastructure improvement and the purchase of equipment.
