CEPT University | Highway Engineering Laboratory

The CEPT Highway Engineering Laboratory involves planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining roads, bridges and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and goods. The highway engineering laboratory is dedicated to conducting all standardized tests to assess the quality of highway materials as per relevant codes, as given below:

1. Highway Engineering Laboratory Major Instruments

2. Universal Penetrometer The equipment can be used for conducting a penetration test of materials such as grease, petroleum, bitumen, tar, asphalt, wax polish, etc. The equipment is supplied with a power cord to connect to the mains of 220-230V AC, single phase, 50-60Hz supply.

3. Ring and Ball Apparatus The equipment is used for determining the softening point of asphaltic bitumen and fluxed native asphalt, road tar, coal tar pitch and blown type bitumen. The apparatus is suitable for the operation on 230 volts, 50 Hz, single phase, AC supply.

4. Flash point (open) & Fire point Pensky Marten Apparatus The equipment is used for determining the Open Flash Point and Fire Point (i) fuel oils and lubricating oils (ii) bitumen other than cut back (iii) bitumen cutback (iv) suspension of solids in liquids. The apparatus is suitable for operation on 230 volts, 50Hz, Single phase, AC Supply.

5. Pavement Core Drilling Machine This instrument is designed to cut cores of diameter up to 150mm from asphalt pavements. This core drill machine is petrol engine powered, and the drill has been designed specifically for the purpose of extracting test cores by drilling holes in roads, airport runways, bridges, etc.

6. Benkelman Beam with Digital Dial Gauge It is a simple and accurate device for measuring the deflection of flexible pavement under the action of moving loads. It is a relative measure of the structural capacity of a pavement structure at a given point. The unit consists of a reference beam body, two-part probe beam and a rear zero adjust. In digital model, deflection is measured using a digital indicator.

7. Standard Tar Viscometer The equipment is used for the determination of viscosity of road tar and cut-back bitumen. The apparatus is suitable for the operation on 230 volts, 50 Hz, Single phase, AC supply. The equipment consists of an oil cup, water bath, stand and ball valve.

8. Marshall Apparatus This equipment is meant for the measurement of the resistance to plastic flow of cylindrical specimens of bituminous paving mixes containing asphalt or tar and aggregate up to 2.54mm. The results indicate the resistance of the mix to withstand displacement under stress. The stability test is of considerable importance in both design and control of mixes to withstand the tendency of flow or displacement. The apparatus is suitable for operation on a 230 volts, 50 Hz, single phase, AC supply.

9. Asphalt Mixer 5ltr The equipment is designed for mixing asphalt samples that can be used for mechanical tests such as compaction, indirect tensile and Marshall tests etc. The mixer is suitable for operation on a 220/230 volts, 50 Hz, 1 phase, AC supply. At the low speed, the mixing paddle revolves at 140 ± 5 rev/min, with a planetary motion of 62 ± 5 rev/min. At the high speed the mixing paddle revolves at 285 ± 10 rev/ min, with a planetary motion of 125 ± 10 rev/ min.

10. Ductility Testing Machine The equipment is used for determining the ductility of asphaltic bitumen, fluxed native asphalt, cut back bitumen and blown type bitumen. The ductility of bituminous material is measured by distance in cm to which it will elongate before breaking when two ends of standard briquette specimen of material are pulled apart at a specified speed and at a specified temperature. The machine is suitable for operation on 230 volts, 50 Hz, single phase, AC supply.

11. Film Stripping Device It is used to measure the resistance of bituminous mixtures to stripping of asphalt from aggregate particles. It is generally used to evaluate the mineral aggregate and to judge the adhesion of the bituminous material. The test is applied to the aggregate fraction passing the 9.5mm sieve and retained on the 2.36mm sieve.

12. Los Angeles Abrasion Testing Machine with Counter The equipment is used for testing the resistance to abrasion of crushed rock, crushed slag, crushed and uncrushed gravel. The machine is suitable for operation on 415 volts, 3 phase, 50 cycles, AC supply. The machine consists of a hollow drum mounted on a sturdy frame on ball bearings.

13. Thin Film Oven / Loss on Heating Oven The equipment is used for determining the loss in mass of oil and asphaltic/bituminous compounds when heated with the loss on heating test method or the effect of heat and air on semi-solid asphaltic/bituminous materials. The mixer is suitable for operation on a 220/240 volts, 50/ 60 Hz.

14. Centrifuge Extractors, Capacity 1500g Electrically operated The equipment is used for the quantitative determination of bitumen in hot mixed paving mixtures and pavement samples. The apparatus is suitable for operation on 230 volts, 50 Hz, Single Phase, AC supply.