Port Elizabeth – The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) announced on Thursday the opening of a new engineering materials laboratory that will see road materials from across the Eastern Cape now tested in Port Elizabeth.
The facility will also double up as a skills development centre where graduate engineers in Sanral’s experiential learning programme can get exposure to and focus on materials engineering.
The civil engineering materials testing lab enables Sanral to test the properties of construction materials used in road maintenance activities as well as in development and upgrading of the national roads. It will also give Sanral a second-tier quality assessment tool through comparative or correlation tests done independently from, but concurrently with, the tests of site material labs conducted on conventional road engineering projects in the province.
“Having an independent comparison is widely regarded as one of the most valuable tools to check the site lab’s accuracy,” explained Sean Strydom, Sanral Southern Region materials specialist.
“The accuracy of test results have a significant impact on whether we accept or reject the quality of work in our efforts to deliver roads that are in line with international standards. Any additional assurance of the accuracy is of great value.”
The new road material testing facility in PE also plays a critical role in developing South Africa’s next generation of engineering professionals, according to Sanral. It will also serve as a training facility where Sanral’s Centre of Excellence students can build their understanding of materials engineering through practical experience.
The centre currently houses 26 engineering graduates from across South Africa on a three-year in-house experiential training programme, which will assist them to be able to register as professional engineers.
“From a developmental perspective, it is critical to ensure that South Africa’s future engineers have a fundamental understanding of the properties of the materials used in road infrastructure development,” said Simon Peterson, Sanral's southern region manager.
According to Strydom, there are also plans on the cards to use the facility for the summative assessment of a new road materials testing qualification which is currently being developed with sponsorships from the Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita) and Sanral.