INSTITUTE FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND GEOTECHNICS A.D.-NIKSIC

Institute for construction materials and geotechnics AD- Niksic, was founded in 1959 as a company for testing construction materials and it had a status of republic institution. With development of its activity the Institute expanded its work to include geotechnical services, and therefore it was later registered as an Institute for construction materials and geotechnics, as it is called now.

During its history and especially after the catastrophic earthquake from 1979, the need for geological engineering and geotechnical testing of terrain for different purposes and for different types of buildings grew rapidly, thereafter in that period the Institute hired all the necessary qualified staff and it also acquired necessary equipment for its activity.

It is important to underline that the Institute had also formed its geomechanical laboratory with all the necessary equipment and professional staff (2 engineers of geotechnics, technicians and laborers); laboratory for construction materials, with all the necessary equipment and professional staff (3 engineers of civil engineering, technicians and laborers) as well as the chemical analysis laboratory, which acts as a backing laboratory, offering significant help to other two laboratories, thanks to its professional staff (engineer, technician and laborers) and equipment.

Institute for construction materials and geotechnics AD-Niksic was founded in 1959 as a republic institution under the name of “Institute for construction materials”. The Institute worked on exploration of mechanical characteristics of construction materials and products used in civil engineering, such as cement, rock, aggregate, decorative and technical stones, concrete, bricks, tiles, lime and other clay products, as well as testing of bitumen, asphalt, insulating material and testing on the basis of bituminous bonds. The Institute is also authorized to issue appropriate certificates, reports, studies and analyses for the mentioned testing.

By extending its activity to include geotechnical works as well, the Institute was registered under its present name in 1980.

During its long history, besides the work in the central laboratory, the Institute was testing concrete for many construction sites. We will only mention some of the bigger projects, such as: the Concrete dam on Hydro electric power plant Piva-Mratinje; Aluminium Plant-Podgorica; Thermo power plant Pljevlja (chimney, refrigerator and concrete dam Otilovici); factories for the production of concrete, such as GP Montenegro-Niksic; GP Prvoborac-Herceg Novi; ZIB Bar; Sozina tunnel-SCT Ljubljana; Durutovici landfall-Pljevlja.

Institute has a qualified staff with long working experience: six qualified civil and geological engineers who also passed vocational exams and who are authorized to sign reports and certificates about different testing and examinations of construction material quality. There are also technicians qualified for terrain and laboratory work.

The Institute is equipped with all the necessary laboratory equipment for testing cement, aggregates, asphalt, concrete elements and quality of clay products.

Furthermore, we will mention only the most significant equipment: laboratory presses for sample testing (press 3000kN – VPM, Liepzigg – Germany; press 2000 kN – Slovenia; press 170 kN – IMS – Belgrade), press for bend and compression steel testing strainers, scales (solution and precise analytic balance), vibrating plate, equipment for permeability testing, testing of frost resistance, abrasion resistance and other appurtenant equipment. It also has equipment for construction site laboratories (JUS U.M1.052).

The Institute also has a geomechanical laboratory, which is fully equipped (Cher” instrument, triaxial instrument, monoaxial instrument, oedometer, Casagrande instruments for plasticity testing, equipment for compression and compactness testing etc.) including all appurtenant terrain equipment (boring rig GAR-100, JANEZ – 600, ZIF – 650, as well as special boring rig INGERSOLL RAND for borings with 300mm terrain vehicles, compressors and complete boring equipment etc).

In cooperation with other foreign companies the Institute can perform drilling works in calcareous material with the initial diameter of 600mm and in soft materials with diameter of 1500mm, including incorporation of the first class inox well structures. It is the only company in Montenegro equipped at this level.

Institute has qualified staff for geotechnical testing and for projects concerning geotechnics and hydrogeology: 2 qualified engineers of geotehnics, 2 qualified engineers of regional geology, few technicians of geology – laborers and appropriate staff for drilling works.