Laboratorio Ufficiale Prove Materiali “M. Salvati”

The Laboratorio Ufficiale Prove Materiali “M. Salvati” was established according to Law n. 553 of 01.07.1961 and, since 1983, it was named after Prof. Michele Salvati who was its founder.

Beside all the activities supporting the didactics and the experimental research of the Department, the institutional activities consist of tests and monitoring for third party. This activity, recognized for public benefit purpose according to art. n. 20 of Law n. 1086 of 05.11.1971, consists in controlling the materials and the fulfillments the legislation prescribes for the suitable constructions execution, and in monitoring and calibrating testing machines for private laboratories (licensed by Ministry of Public Works).

The Laboratory, one of the biggest and best equipped in the South of Italy for testing building materials and structures, has two large rooms equipped with a bridge crane and a concrete slab of 1 m thick, for tests on materials, structural models and 1:1 scaled structures; in particular, the widest room has about 500mq of floor space and an effective height of 15m, while the smallest room has about 350mq of floor space and an effective height of 9m. Both are served by large driveway gates; another driveway gate let the access to the room beneath the slab. The technical staff employed at the Laboratory is highly specialized in experimentation on materials and structures, with destructive and non destructive, in-situ and in laboratory tests.