Physical and mechanical tests
We are skilled in physical and mechanical tests of fresh and hardened cement paste, mortar and concrete and the raw constituents (aggregates, additives, cement, etc.). Over many years of activity in the field we gained experience in methods according to various standards and recommendations.
In addition to standard tests on fresh and hardened concrete and mortar, we are skilled in the following advanced techniques:
- Shrinkage and creep
- Plastic shrinkage
- Autogenous shrinkage
- Relative humidity evolution (self-desiccation and drying profiles)
- Chemical Prestress of CFRP Tendons with Expanding High Performance Concrete
- Restrained shrinkage cracking (double-rings)
- Dynamic Vapor Sorption Analysis (DVS)
- Oxygen diffusion
- Nitrogen-Sorption
- Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry
- Sulfate Resistance-Test
- AAR: Concrete-Performance-Test
- 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR)
![](https://tb.empa.ch/documents/55996/14364450/New+2020+UHFB-Kriechen-Proben.jpg/b9d7ed2b-4718-42d7-87c7-f1c8371f59b4?t=1599662289000)
Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) samples after tension test
![](https://tb.empa.ch/documents/55996/14364450/New+2020+Klimakammer+AAR.jpg/322db138-2cc8-4299-9774-9c5b8df6e619?t=1599662129000)
Climate chamber for accelerated AAR sample conditioning
![](https://tb.empa.ch/documents/55996/14364450/New+2020+Messung+Sauerstoff+Diffusion.jpg/01459ade-dc50-48ed-92e7-68e304c5451b?t=1599662146000)
Oxygen diffusion tests