The AdMaS center’s road laboratory also deals with the use of R-material – a material obtained from an old asphalt road – in the production of new asphalt mixtures in research projects. The student of the 4th year of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Karel Spies, designed and tested a new type of asphalt mixture with a higher R-material content and asphalt content modified with rubber granulate obtained from old crushed tires. He used the AdMaS center test facility for laboratory tests. In April, the proposed asphalt mixture was used to repair potholes at the very busy intersection of Veveří and Pod Kaštany streets, resulting in a mini-test section. It should be noted that a student  won with these bachelor thesis the faculty round of Student Scientific and Professional Activities (SVOČ) and advanced to the international round that will take place in Zilina.

Big thanks to Brněnské komunikace, a.s. for allowing the test section to be carried out and the assistance in performing the tests.

On April 25, 2019, students who attended the Conference of Students’ Chambers of Building Faculties (KOSTAF), organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno, visited the AdMaS Center. The visitors were shown the center laboratories and were familiarized with the key equipment of the whole center.

The Institute of Building Economics and Management and the AdMaS Center of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Brno University of Technology held a lecture by the Governor of the Czech National Bank, Ing. Jiří Rusnok, on the Role and Tasks of the Czech National Bank, including current challenges in monetary and macro-prudential policy.

The lecture was held on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, in the hall of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and was intended mainly for students of the 1st year of the Civil Engineering study program and students of the Civil Engineering Management field, but other students and BUT employees came to hear the Governor.

After the lecture, the Governor went to the AdMaS Center, where the director of the Center, JUDr. Ing. Zdeněk Dufek, Ph.D. and his deputy, Ing. Zdeněk Krejza, Ph.D.  informed him about premises and research projects and goals.

On 15.4. 2019, the AdMaS Center welcomed students from the Technical College of Industry and Construction in Decin. The excursion was focused on traffic constructions and tests of materials used for it. In Hall H, the students studied the rail grate and other materials which is used to build the railways . Then they toured the Road Laboratory. The excursion prepared and the students showed around dr. Richard Svoboda, Ing. Pavla Nekulova and Ing. Pavla Sperka.

On April 2, 2019, an excursion for students of the Institute of Forensic Engineering took place in the AdMaS Center. Students visited the center together with doc. Holcner. The excursion focused mainly on the influence of different road surfaces on the anti-skid properties of roads and their testing. The students were also acquainted with the main testing facilities the center owns.

Director of AdMaS Research Center, dr. Zdeněk Dufek, attended the international conference Inland Navigation for the 21st Century, which took place in Prague on 1 April 2019. In his contribution he informed about the progress of the project of our research center focused on the design of technical regulations for the safe construction and operation of LNG refueling stations. This alternative fuel is becoming a reality even in the Czech Republic. Last year, the Ministry of Transport announced a subsidy call to support the construction of LNG refueling stations, which were used by several entities. By 2022, more than a dozen LNG refueling stations can be expected to be put into operation. Among other things, it offers the possibility of placing LNG stations in ports close to major road routes. To do this, it will be needed to create safety regulations so that the stations can be designed, commissioned and operated safely.

Two of our PhD students, Ing. Pavel Sperka and Ing. Jiri Sachr, who work on research projects at the road laboratory of the AdMaS Center, participated in the international conference Celebrating 20 Years Road Materials and Pavement Design at the end of March 2019. The conference was held in Lisbon, Portugal, and presented the best contributions in the RMPD scientific journal on road construction materials.

As part of the conference, they were able to establish contact with a portugese professor, Ana Chistina Freire, who is engaged in testing reinforced asphalt layers with glass and carbon fiber grids. In addition, a meeting with a professor from India, Krishna Prapoorna, who is engaged in the development and testing of asphalt mixtures with rubber modified asphalt rubber (crushed old tires) took place. Subjects of both of these meetings are very closely related to research projects that are, or have been, solved in the AdMaS Research Center, and may  potentially help future international collaboration.

On March 11, 2019, the Povodí Morava  held its regular meeting at the Admas Center.

Before the start, the Technical and Operational Director, Ing. David Fína, and CEO, MVDr. Václav Gargulák, met the director of the AdMaS Center, JUDr Ing. Zdeněk Dufek, Ph.D., and discussed the areas of possible cooperation. This was followed by a presentation of the center, the meeting itself and an afternoon tour of the individual laboratories.

On March 11-22, 2019, a Russian student from Kalashnikov State Technical University, Aleksandr Gumenyuk (Александр Гуменюк), was trained at the AdMaS Center. As part of this internship, he worked on his master’s thesis devoted to extending durability and optimizing the mechanical properties of sulfur-containing cement composites. During his internship he used mainly computer tomography and scanning electron microscopy to study the microstructure of the materials being developed.