Construction Materials Laboratory

Construction Materials Division adopts two simultaneous educational methods: theoretical and applied/practical education. Construction Materials Courses in undergraduate and graduate level provide a theoretical background about cement, aggregate, admixture, concrete, and their structure, behavior, and properties. Construction Materials Laboratory which is an integral part of the division gives the opportunity to test, investigate and enhance the behavior and characteristics of these materials of interest with comprehensive empirical research and testing through existing test devices and apparatus.
Laboratory research team includes 1 Ph.D. student and 4 MSc students in the leadership of Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN and Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN. The laboratory research concentrate on the physical, chemical, mechanical properties and strength, durability and self-healing performance of ultra-high-performance fiber reinforced concretes (UHPFRC) and engineered cementitious composites (ECC). To minimize the CO₂ footprint, utilization of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) like fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and silica and various industrial wastes during the production of these high performance concretes is another research focus of the laboratory.
By the help of advanced test equipment available in the laboratory, a better insight to compressive and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, deformation capacity, permeability, electrical resistivity behaviors of UHPFRC and ECC specimens is gained. Four-point bending test, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, resonance frequency test, rapid chloride permeability test, sorptivity test, and electrical impedance tests enable the comprehensive examination of the mechanical, self-healing and durability performance of those special kinds of concretes and cementitious composites. These test methods are also supported by microscopic observations in order to understand the self-healing mechanism in detail.
Ensuring autogenous and autonomous self-healing mechanisms through tight multiple cracking with strain hardening behaviors in the produced UHPFRC and ECC comprises the main focus of the studies carried out in the laboratory. Production of more sustainable and eco-friendly composites that have extended service life and short and long-term self-healing property is both motivation and the ultimate target of the researches conducted in Construction Materials Laboratory.
In addition, the properties of cement, aggregate and mineral admixtures can be determined within the facilities of Construction Materials Laboratory. Different concrete types can be designed and produced with desired properties and concrete and similar cementitious composites can be tested in terms of strength and durability. The construction materials laboratory is especially involved in the conversion of local waste materials and industrial by-products into construction materials.


Construction Materials Laboratory Team:
Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN
Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN
Res. Assist. Aysu GÖCÜGENCİ (PhD Student)
Hüseyin KARACA – Project Assist. (MSc Student)
Kamil TEKİN – Project Assist. (MSc Student)
Ömer YAVAŞ – Project Assist. (MSc Student)





Ongoing and Completed Projects in Construction Materials Laboratory

Project Title	Project Type	Project Manager	Project Researchers	Project Scholars	Project Budget
The Effect of Maturity of Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites on Self-healing Performance	TÜBİTAK 1001 (Continuous)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN	Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN	Kamil TEKİN Ömer YAVAŞ	367350, 0 TL
Effect of Particle Size Optimization on the Mechanical and Self-healing Behavior of High Performance Fibre-reinforced Cementitious Composites	TÜBİTAK 3501 (Continuous)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN	Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN	Olkan İlter TAŞ Kamil TEKİN Hüseyin KARACA	278329,0 TL
Self-Compacting Calcium Aluminate Cement Mortars	MSKÜ BAP (Continuous)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN	-	-	9823,0 TL
Enhancing the Utilization of Industrial Wastes of Muğla Region in the Production of Cementitious Composite	MSKÜ BAP (Completed)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN	-	-	9446,20 TL
Utilization of Industrial Wastes of Muğla Region in the Production of Cementitious Composite	MSKÜ BAP (Completed)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Bahadır KESKİN	-	-	17830,98 TL
Utilization of Fly Ash - Gypsum Mixture Thermal Power Plant Waste in Cement Production	MSKÜ BAP (Completed)	Assist. Prof. Dr. Özlem KASAP KESKİN	-	-	19947,0 TL