LMDC & INSA Toulouse
The Laboratory for Materials and Durability of Constructions (LMDC) is a university research laboratory in the field of materials science and civil engineering structures, affiliated to INSA Toulouse and Toulouse III University. It employs around 120 people, including professors and lecturers, doctoral and post-doctoral students, administrative and technical staff.
The LMDC offers scientific solutions for sustainable development and eco-responsible management of buildings, civil engineering infrastructures, and housing. To this end, it develops innovative materials for civil engineering, improves the understanding of physico-chemical phenomena affecting the durability of construction materials, and develops methodologies and techniques for the requalification, diagnosis, and maintenance of existing structures.
The research activities are categorised into three areas:
- Area 1: Innovative Multiphase Materials
- Area 2: Reactivity, transfers and couplings for the durability of materials and structures
- Area 3: Analysis and monitoring of buildings in their environment.
The mechanical, chemistry-microstructure, physics, and IT and modelling departments ensure the smooth functioning of the laboratory's research. LMDC is equipped with a wide range of instrumentation such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), environmental controlled (RH and T) micro/nano-indentation and so on.
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Area 1: Innovative Multiphase Materials
The aim is formulate construction materials with the aim of achieving optimum performance while seeking to reduce their environmental impact as far as possible. In this division, properties of use are assessed at material level in two main areas, namely, hygrothermal performance and mechanical performance.
Microstructure studies at the finest material scales are systematically carried out in order to improve the understanding of the phenomena that occurs on a macroscopic scale, and also to predict the behaviour of materials. |
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Area 2: Reactivity, transfers and couplings for the durability of materials and structures
The activities in this division focus on understanding the evolution of materials and structures in their environment, and on predicting their behaviour in the interests of environmental protection, safety and security, and maintaining process yields. They focus in particular on the durability of materials, especially cementitious materials, and civil engineering structures under complex and/or coupled stresses (THCBM). The scientific developments are based on a common approach, starting with a detailed understanding of phenomena on a microscopic scale (chemical reactivity, physical and mechanical properties under severe conditions) and working up to the scale of the material and then the overall structure.
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Area 3: Analysis and monitoring of buildings in their environment
The research focuses on existing buildings. Firstly, this involves improving the non-destructive evaluation of the properties and condition of materials within structures and buildings. We then need to assess their performance in terms of structure and/or energy, from a deterministic or probabilistic point of view, and at different scales by integrating the potential effect of the surrounding building. Finally, we need to improve the monitoring over time of the performance of structures and buildings after repair or rehabilitation.
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