Roman A. Pakholak, Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Construction and Maintenance of Roads, BNTU Faculty of Transport Communications, did a one-month internship at Road and Bridge Research Institute located in Warsaw (Poland). The internship took place on November 15 - December 15, 2016.
The Institute was founded in 1955 as Road Construction Institute. In 1959 it was renamed the Central R&D Center for Road Machinery. In 1974 the Center finally acquired its present name. i.e. Road and Bridge Research Institute.
In the postwar years, the Institute played an important part in road modernization. In 1990 the Institute started a large-scale modernization of its laboratories and purchased a number of unique devices. At present, the Institute runs several laboratories, namely
- Laboratory of Concretes;
- Laboratory of Road Diagnosis;
- Laboratory of Geotechnics and Foundations;
- Laboratory of Bridges;
- Laboratory of Asphalt Concrete.
A new modern branch of the Institute was established in Żmigród (near Wroclaw). The branch deals with the study of concrete and materials for concrete production, as well as diagnosis and repair of bridges. The second branch is located in the city of Kielce and is concerned with the study of bridges.
Professor Leszek Rafalski, Director of the Institute
During the internship, Mr. Pakholak trained at the departments of concrete, technology of pavement, geotechnics, and diagnosis of road surface. Each Department has its own accredited laboratory with most modern equipment.
Mr. Pakholak also studied European norms, which apply to the construction and maintenance of roads with asphalt concrete and cement concrete pavement. In the laboratories, he observed material studies and participated in relevant processes.
Mr. Pakholak also visited Masfalt plant engaged in producing asphalt. This plant is one of the largest and most modern in Poland. Ammann Uniwersal 320 with the capacity of 320 tonnes per hour is equipped with a computerized dosing system. The plant has a modern system of dust collection that meets the most stringent European standards of environmental protection.
During the visit, Mr. Pakholak collected materials for his master's thesis and discussed further cooperation between the BNTU Transport Communications Faculty and Road and Bridge Research Institute.
Upon completion of the internship, Mr. Pakholak was awarded a respective certificate.
