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Reyntjens Laboratory

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the Reyntjens Laboratory
consultancy and services for industry
expertise in research areas
experiments in the Reyntjens Laboratory
experiments on site
contact

The Reyntjens Laboratory

The laboratory of the Building Materials and Building Technology division is called the Reyntjens Laboratory in memory of Professor G. Reyntjens († 1973). Professor F. Mortelmans was in the R&D division of K.U. Leuven one of the pioneers to establish a 'Building Materials and Constructions' division, of which he remained head until 1990. Professor D. Van Gemert took over his role and further developed the activities of the laboratory. The current head of the laboratory is Professor L. Vandewalle.

The fully equipped Reyntjens Laboratory supports innovative, fundamental and applied research. Amongst its frequent users, one can find researchers, academic staff, students and industry.

Consultancy and services for industry

The research and consultancy services offered by the Reyntjens Laboratory, cover both the research areas in which the Building Materials and Building Technology division is active and also routine tests and experiments on building materials such as concrete, steel, timber, masonry, soil and polymers such as FRP. Although the infrastructure is also used to perform routine tests on building materials and construction components, the emphasis shifts increasingly towards specialized tests which are tailored to the needs of the customer and to the support of education and research.

The added value in consultancy and research services is mainly provided by the combination of expertise in materials and expertise in constructive aspects. The academical background of the Building Materials and Building Technology division is a prerequisite for this added value. The research and consultancy services provide a clear interaction and synergy. It forms a breeding ground for initiation of new research and it also provides a relevant social return for the funds allocated for education and research.

Since its establishment, the Reyntjens Laboratory delivered more than 31,000 official consultancy and service projects. With its highly qualified staff and state-of-the-art equipment, quality is a key concept.

Expertise in research areas

Consultancy and services are offered in areas that are related to the research expertise of the Building Materials and Building Technology division, including :

material research related to consolidation and strengthening of existing (historical) structures
study of the pathology and stability of (historical) structures
design of consolidation and strengthening of structures (timber, masonry and concrete)
(long term) monitoring and other non-destructive (NDT) and semi-destructive techniques (SDT)
advanced numerical design techniques for steel and concrete, supported by experiments
probabilistic techniques in civil engineering applications, including probabilistic assessment of existing structures and life time prediction of structural components
design methods for steel fibre reinforced concrete structures (SFRC)

The emphasis is put on projects with a greater added value and creative input. Together with the customer, we actively seek for innovative solutions, new materials and applications. The result is a custom tailored experimental program, experimental test setup and supervision by project engineers. The execution of the tests can be done in our laboratory or on site.

Experiments in the Reyntjens Laboratory

The experiments can be done in one of the four different labs of the Reyntjens Laboratory :

cement and concrete laboratory : for the preparation and mechanical testing of fresh and hardened mortar, grout and concrete
chemistry laboratory : for chemical analyses on grout, mortar, concrete, soil and other building materials
main testing hall : is equipped for large-scale mechanical tests on building materials and construction components
laboratory for soil experiments : for tests on soil samples (shear tests, compression tests, tri-axial tests, etc.)

Following experiments can be carried out at the Reyntjens Laboratory

standard tests on building materials: compression, tensile and bending tests (in laboratory conditions as well as in high temperatures and in cryogenic conditions), freeze-thaw tests, shrinkage and creep tests, ultrasonic measurements, dynamic E-modulus tests
chemical analyses of mortar, concrete, puzzolans, cement and fly ash
Proctor - sand/cement
physical tests for determining the density, porosity, water absorption, water permeability, etc.
abrasion test including : Amsler abrasion apparatus, Taber abrasion apparatus and bullet abrasion apparatus
more advanced tests on materials using SEM, XRD, IR, TGA, mercury porosimetry
experiments on soil : compression test, tri-axial test, shear test, characterisation test
rheology and workability of binders (rheometer, viscomat) and lime mortars
research on carbonatation and hydration of binders (test setup for measuring CO2 absorption, TGA, freeze-dryer, Tam Air)
tests on external reinforcement (adhesion tests, shear tests, four-point bending tests on beams)
conformity experiments for externally bonded reinforcement, repair mortars, anchor blocks, etc.
experiments on fibre reinforced concrete (shear test, displacement controlled bending and plate test, direct tension test)

In all these tests, up to date techniques are provided for detection of stress, strain, cracking and damage : strain gauges, LVDT, acoustic emission measurements, optical techniques, etc.


main testing hall	cement laboratory	chemical laboratory

Experiments on site

Following experiments can be executed on site

pile tests, load transfer tests and tensile tests on anchors
on site sampling (masonry, mortar, concrete, timber and soil)
inspection of foundations, soil analysis (vane shear tests, shear tests)
monitoring setup : measuring temperature, relative humidity, forces, displacements, crack evolution, etc.
non-destructive testing on buildings and materials including visual inspection, geo-electrical measurements, acoustic emission measurements, ultrasonic measurements, etc.
inspection of timber : Resistograph and Zapfenschneider
detection of reinforcement with pachometer
measurements of corrosion using GalvaPulse