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Technical Properties of Mineralogical Building Materials

Tampere University

Determining the technical properties of mineralogical building materials from the point of view of different utilization applications has been one of the key focus areas of the research group for over 20 years. Through long-term research, the group has been equipped with the most versatile capabilities in Finland to study the properties of various types of soils and aggregate materials, as well as bricks and recycled building materials, from a microscope scale to measuring the technical properties of building materials in full-scale infrastructures.

Background

The research theme has been one of the pillars of earthwork research since the 1990s. As a result of determined work, research capabilities have been gradually improved, with emphasis on the information needs of the society. A significant part of the major research equipment has been developed and built by ourselves, but some research equipment has also been purchased. Partners in this work have been numerous Finnish actors in the field of infrastructure construction, such as the Finnish Infrastructure Transport Agency, Suomen Erityisjäte Oy, many consultant and contracting companies and Posiva Oy.

Goal

Construction on subgrade and using earth materials is characterized by the fact that the conditions of each construction project are individual. This results in the need for development and maintenance of a wide range of research methods that are able to characterize accurately the material properties used as input data for case-specific design. The range of methods and know-how required here is extensive because the essential technical properties of building materials depend on the purpose of the structure, if it is, for example, the foundation of a building, road, street, railway track, landfill area, nuclear waste disposal tunnel, the structure of a sports field or the green space of a recreation area.

Contact persons

Pauli Kolisoja

Professor

pauli.kolisoja [at] tuni.fi

+358 40 585 1025