Research Facilities

The Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar of the Impact Testing Facility at LSU (MATEX) is used for evaluating the dynamic behavior of the architected metamaterials under high-strain-rate loadings.

This facility helps researchers to characterize the material behavior of materials when subjected to impact loadings. The characterization focuses on the microstructural effects of materials and considers size effects on the macroscopic behavior of metals, polymers, and rocks. This leads to better constitutive relations for the solution of physical problems due to impact loads. The MATEX laboratory houses extensive testing facilities for impact and damage for testing of metals and structures using the Hopkinson Bar equipment, as well as the Impact Tester.

 

Dr. George Z. Voyiadjis, Boyd Professor, is the director of the Advanced Computational Solid Mechanics Laboratory (CSM). The CSM lab promotes research in materials science at LSU and in conjunction with other research facilities and teams around the world. By specializing in numerical analysis and experimentation at the nanoscale, CSM Lab pioneers the advancement of knowledge in this emerging area of science. Engineers, scientists, and technicians design new products for many reasons: to increase productivity and efficiency in the industrial process, to reduce the cost of manufacturing, to replace existing products that are aging, and to add new features that will benefit people's lives. Throughout the design process, the selection and preparation of proper materials are crucial to achieving the desired result. As researchers understand more of how and why materials behave under real-world conditions, they can use that knowledge to create materials that are stronger, lighter, tougher, safer, etc. than those that are commercially available today. Building on the discoveries of past research efforts, this laboratory uses information from experiments and numerical simulations with materials. This laboratory, in conjunction with the Center for Computing and Technology, CCT, uses advanced cyberinfrastructure –high-speed networks, high-performance computing, advanced data storage and analysis, and hardware and software development-to properly characterize material behaviors.

The research objectives of this laboratory are to (1) design ultralightweight high-strength mechanical metamaterials, (2) formulate a multiscale computational model combining hierarchies with material size effects, and (3) conduct laboratory experiments with 3D printed cellular metamaterials for multifunctional aerospace applications. In the context of advanced materials, the next generation of architected cellular materials has the potential to excel in functional and structural limitations. Architected cellular materials with optimized unit cell topologies have enormous potential to achieve combinations of properties unavailable in any existing monolithic material. Advances in additive manufacturing technologies have enabled the fabrication of macro-scale architected materials with key dimensional features at the micro and nanoscale levels, resulting in dramatic improvements in their mechanical and multifunctional properties. Compared with conventional composites, architected cellular materials can further lower weight, thereby reducing both energy consumption and pollution, still major challenges to address, especially for aerospace and automotive industries. This work is an important step toward the scalable fabrication of multifunctional ultralightweight architected cellular metamaterials that are currently lacking.

The Driving Simulator Lab hosts the LSU Driving Simulator, a full-sized passenger car combined with a series of cameras, projectors, and screens to provide a high-fidelity immersive virtual environment that offers a high degree of driving realism. It provides a one-degree-of-freedom motion base to deliver a driver experience similar to real-world driving in an instrumented vehicle. Its open-architecture software tools allow comprehensive data acquisition during simulation experiments and the creation of custom roadway networks and virtually unlimited simulation scenarios. Vehicle simulation makes it possible for cost-effective testing of scenarios that may be impractical, unsafe, or infeasible to conduct in field conditions.

Research conducted in the lab includes studies on work zone safety, distracted and impaired driving behavior, driver performance under varying traffic and weather conditions (e.g., rain, snow, wind), and the development of connected and automated vehicle simulation testbeds. The lab is also capable of examining the effects of different levels of task complexity on visual fixation strategies and visual stimulus recognition; determining the effects of road signage, roadway type, and geometric design features on driver performance; evaluating driver interaction with emerging in-vehicle technologies; and assessing the impacts of fatigue and cognitive distraction on driving performance. Such experiments advance the state of the art in human-centered transportation research and generate evidence-based findings that contribute to safer roadway design, improved traffic operations, and ultimately the prevention of crashes and loss of life.

The Structural Systems Testing Laboratory is equipped with a 20 ft x 50 ft strong floor for testing full scale structural components and subsystems. The main load frame in a tall 550-kip MTS equipped with an MTS Flextest SE controller and National Instruments cDAQ-9178 data acquisition system with strain, thermocouple, voltage, and accelerometer modules. Measurement capabilities include strain gages and Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs). Hydraulic systems in the lab are powered with state-of-the-art pumps (MTS SilentFlo series). A variety of loading tips, spreader beams and custom fixtures are available including a fixture for testing tensile strength of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC).

The Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency, under the direction of Dr. Brian Wolshon, is a collaborative effort between the Louisiana State University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the University of New Orleans' Department of Planning and Urban Studies. The theme of the LSU-UNO Center is focused on Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency in an effort to address the multitude of issues that impact transportation processes under emergency conditions such as evacuation and other types of major events. This area of research also addresses the need to develop and maintain the ability of transportation systems to economically, efficiently, and safely respond to the changing demands that may be placed upon them.

For more information about the Gulf Coast Center for Evacuation & Transportation Resiliency, visit them online at http://www.evaccenter.lsu.edu/

The Center for River Studies is a collaborative partnership between the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and LSU. The primary focus of the Center is to operate one of the world's largest physical models of the Mississippi River to produce qualitative land-building results associated with sediment diversion in the lower river. Based on exact parameters of the river's physical an dynamic properties, the model flows sediment and water, covering a 14.000-square-mile section of southeast Louisiana. The lower Mississippi River Physical Model, a 90 x 120 foot movable bed, is one of the largest of its kind in the world and the facility was specifically designed for the model. The foundation, overhead gantry crane, walk-bridge, interior drainage, electrical system, and data infrastructure were all designed to facilitate the model and exhibit. One hour of model testing time is equivalent to one year of natural river time, therefore 100-year project scenarios take approximately 100 hours on the model. Additionally, 20 high-resolution digital projectors are mounted above the model and are able to merge together and project aerial photographs, project features, diversion outputs, and other simulations/animations. 

The L.H. Bossier Asphalt Laboratory was established in 2012 through generous support from the Bossier family. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art testing and characterization systems that support education, research, and technology implementation in flexible pavement materials and systems. It includes equipment for evaluating asphalt binders, aggregates, asphalt mixtures, and pavement performance under a wide range of loading and environmental conditions.

The laboratory supports the teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses in pavement engineering and asphalt materials, providing students with hands-on training in modern testing methods, materials characterization, and performance evaluation. In addition, the laboratory supports research on next-generation pavement materials and mixture designs, including recycled and low-carbon materials, bio-based rejuvenators, specialty modifiers, and other sustainable technologies aimed at improving durability, constructability, and lifecycle performance.

The laboratory’s asphalt binder testing capabilities support both conventional and performance-based characterization, including viscosity, penetration, softening point, rotational rheology, dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), bending beam rheometer (BBR), and other tests used to assess asphalt binder grading, aging (RTFO/PAV), and rheological behavior. These tools enable detailed evaluation of virgin, modified, and recycled binders, including polymer-modified binders, rejuvenators, and other sustainable asphalt materials.

The laboratory also includes equipment for aggregate physical characterization, supporting the evaluation of aggregate properties that influence asphalt mixture performance and durability. These capabilities include testing for gradation, specific gravity and absorption, and shape/angularity used in mixture design, quality control, and performance assessment.

For asphalt mixtures, the laboratory is equipped with specimen preparation and compaction systems, including a Superpave gyratory compactor and related fabrication equipment, along with mechanical testing systems for rutting, fatigue and low-temperature cracking, moisture damage, and durability evaluation. Mixture performance testing capabilities support Balanced Mix Design (BMD) and performance-based specifications through methods such as Hamburg Wheel Tracking, Semi-Circular Bend (SCB), IDEAL cracking and rutting tests, dynamic modulus, and other mechanistic-performance measurements.

The laboratory also includes MTS load frame systems for advanced mechanical testing and controlled loading applications, enabling detailed evaluation of material response under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. The MTS systems are equipped with advanced instrumentation for materials characterization and data acquisition, enabling high-quality experimental measurements and integration with modeling, mechanistic–empirical pavement design, and AI/ML-based performance prediction. These capabilities allow researchers to assess mixture behavior under short- and long-term aging, heavy traffic loading, and varying environmental conditions.

The laboratory further features Digital Image Correlation (DIC) capabilities for non-contact, full-field measurement of deformation, strain localization, and crack initiation/propagation during testing. DIC enhances the laboratory’s ability to characterize failure mechanisms and validate mechanistic models for asphalt materials and mixtures with high precision.

The ETEC Hydraulics and Water Distribution Lab provides Civil and Environmental Engineering undergraduate students with an experimental and modeling facility where they can get hands-on experience in the real-time monitoring, control, and modeling of hydraulic systems. The lab, sponsored by Environmental Technical Sales, Inc., currently consists of a series of pipes in various diameters, valves, switches, flow meters and pressure gages that are all connected to two reservoirs for water distribution control problems. This pipe loop system can be configured to operate as independent individual loops, collectively as one unit, or in various configurations. Several PC-based computers are set up, some for running water distribution control and monitoring software and the others running monitoring software and hydraulic modeling software. The real-time monitoring and optimization software equips students with the ability to provide constant flow control according to changing demands, while monitoring main water lines, reservoir levels, water quality, etc. The software also enables continuous monitoring of water quantities and pressures. Extensive renovations are underway that include additional computer workstations to serve as a means to control, monitor, and model tracer movement through the system. Also, a connection system will be put into place to open the channel flume where small turbines will be located. The operation and monitoring of these turbines will also be done at these additional workstations.

The geotechnical engineering laboratory is fully equipped for standard soil classification and characterization. Equipment includes standard index tests, consolidation, hydraulic conductivity, direct shear, unconfined compression, and triaxial shear equipment. The laboratory contains two triaxial cells instrumented with bender elements, two displacement-control uniaxial loading frames (4 and 10 kN capacities), and a bank of pressure panels, which can be used to measure the shear strength of soils (specimen diameters ranging from 35 to 71 mm) under different confining pressure ranges. Several Trautwein pressure-volume controllers (flow pumps) are available for stress path triaxial testing or hydraulic conductivity measurements. 

The lab is also well-equipped with all necessary instruments and equipment for culturing microorganisms, including a biosafety cabinet (1300 Series Class II, Type A2, Thermo Scientific), a 4oC refrigerator (Isotemp, Fisherbrand), a -80°C freezer (Isotemp, Fisherbrand), a spectrophotometer (Spectronic 200, Thermo Scientific), an autoclave (SterilElite, Fisherbrand), a shaking incubator (Solaris 4000, Thermo Scientific), a centrifuge (5810R, Eppendorf), a muffle furnace (Thermolyne, Thermo Scientific), and an incubator chamber (Fisherbrand).

To study unsaturated soil behavior and erosion resistance, the lab is equipped with a wide range of equipment and sensors, including a Brazilian tensile test device, a drying cake test equipment (to measure soil shrinkage curve, suction stress characteristic curve, and soil water retention curve), a Fredlund Soil Water Characteristic Curve device (GCTS Testing System, Arizona), a WP4C dewpoint potentiometer equipment (Meter Group, Washington), a TR-3 thermocouple probe, a thermal property analyzer TEMPOS (Meter Group, Washington), and a Geelong drip test equipment. Two cameras (Nikon D7000 with AF-S Micro Nikon 40 mm 1:2.8g) are also available for monitoring sample volume changes using the photogrammetric method. The lab is further equipped with three 3D printers, including one Micro-10 (3D Potter, Florida) and two Moore 1 (Tronxy, Shenzhen) printers. Additionally, the VENCO pugmill is available in the lab for rapid soil mixing and vacuuming, which is used for soil preparation before 3D printing experiments.

Several sensors and a data acquisition system are also available. Bender elements were fabricated in-house using the piezo elements (parallel type, Piezo Systems) to measure the soil shear-wave velocities. The measurement system of bender elements includes a function generator (Agilent 33220A), a band-pass filter (Krohn-Hite 3944), and a digital oscilloscope (Keysight DSOX2014A). Several Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDTs), strain gauges, and a load cell (Load Cell Systems, 10,000 lbs capacity) are available. Campbell Scientific data acquisition device (e.g., CR3000) and software (e.g., LoggerNet) are available to measure responses of a range of sensors available in the laboratory.

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) is a nationally recognized partnership between the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and Louisiana State University (LSU), established by the Louisiana Legislature in 1986 to help improve the state’s transportation system through research, technology transfer, and implementation. LTRC conducts both short- and long-term research and provides technical assistance, engineering training, continuing education, and problem-solving services to DOTD and the broader transportation community.

Located on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, LTRC brings together the strengths of state government, universities, and industry to identify, develop, and implement practical transportation solutions. Its work spans a broad range of transportation areas, including pavements and materials, geotechnical engineering, structures, traffic operations and safety, planning, construction, and emerging technologies, while maintaining a strong focus on real-world application and statewide impact.

For LSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), LTRC serves as a major research and implementation partner, giving faculty and students direct access to applied transportation projects, advanced laboratories, and agency-connected research opportunities. Through this partnership, LSU CEE faculty collaborate with DOTD and other stakeholders on implementation-focused studies, while students gain hands-on experience through research assistantships, laboratory training, field and data-driven investigations, and participation in projects that address current transportation challenges in Louisiana.

This close LSU CEE–LTRC partnership strengthens the department’s mission of combining rigorous academic research with practical impact, while preparing students for leadership roles in transportation engineering, infrastructure innovation, and public service.

For more information about the Louisiana Transportation Research Center, visit them online at http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu.