Pavement Engineering Laboratory
The Laboratory of Pavement Engineering of the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering was first established in 1962. It is active in issues related to the design-construction, maintenance, reinforcement, and management of road and airport pavements and railway infrastructure materials. Other research activities involve pavement materials and mix design, including the laboratory assessment of their mechanical behavior. The Laboratory gives specific importance to the estimation of the bearing capacity of pavements and mixtures with emphasis assigned to Non Destructive Testing (NDT) methods, as well as quality assurance of materials and pavement mixtures.
The NTUA Laboratory of Pavement Engineering performs significant research in the area of the in-situ evaluation, both structural and functional, of pavements and related materials, an issue directly associated with the development and operation of pavement monitoring systems. In the framework of this research the laboratory has developed a system for the realization of Non Destructive Testing (NDT) on pavements. This system is comprised of modern technology equipment/ sub-systems, including advanced geophysical and laser recording systems. Research activities also include a continually evolving division for the determination of the fundamental mechanical properties of materials and mixtures (laboratory), which is composed of an array of modern equipment able to cover a wide spectrum of laboratory tests for the determination of the fundamental mechanical properties of bituminous mixtures, binder evaluation, as well as the physical and geometric characteristics of aggregates. Through in situ and laboratory testing and analysis, that are included in a Quality Management System (ISO 9001), the possibility is presented for the enrichment of instructive coursework, incorporating the knowledge of pavements and presenting the latest technological advancements.
The Laboratory of Pavement Engineering staffed by faculty members, specialized laboratory personnel, PhD candidates and scientific collaborators coordinates the pavement related courses. The Laboratory, on an ongoing basis, participates in numerous international collaborations and has undertaken the organization of multiple international conferences, as well as a plethora of symposiums, meetings and international committees both within Greece and abroad.