Mechanical Testing, Structures, and Civil Engineering Laboratory (LEMSC)

Picture credit : Aurore Delsoir - Yvan Flamant

Technical and scientific expertise

Characterisation of materials and structural elements
Design of special tests on the test floor (20x10 ~200 m²)
Measurement campaigns carried out by UCLouvain staff
Supervised access to characterisation infrastructure/equipment

Main equipment

Test floor with gantries and modular anchors
Seven hydraulic machines
Five static machines
Servo-hydraulic cylinders
Numerous sensors (displacements, accelerometers, load cells, etc.)
Cameras (digital imaging)
Ovens, furnaces
Hydraulic channels

Get an overview of the platform’s facilities via a virtual tour.

Applications

Mechanical tests on various materials (metal, composites for aeronautics, wood, prestressing, neoprene supports, relaxation, corrosion, geomaterials, etc.)
Tests on structures (railway equipment, mixed beams, wood-frame panels, reinforced concrete walls, etc.)
Hydraulic tests (sedimentation)

Services available to

UCLouvain students and researchers: mechanical test development assistance
Non-UCLouvain: offers of accredited standard tests and customised tests

Testimonial of Filière Bois Wallonie

December 2025 - M. Vincent Defays works at Filière Bois Wallonie and shares a video testimonial about her collaboration with the LEMSC platform.

19 May 2026

A new “Structural Challenge” at the LEMSC: crossing a 6.5 m ravine without access to the opposite bank!

On Tuesday, May 5, the assembly and load testing of the structures designed and built by the construction engineering students of the École polytechnique de Louvain took place at the LEMSC platform. 🎯 Objective: to cross a 6.5 m ravine without access to the opposite bank, using a maximum of 85 kg of materials (wood and steel).
16 April 2026

The CREDEM, LACAMI and LEMSC platforms are joining the LEAF program

As pillars of experimental activities—whether related to research or teaching—the platforms play a key role within the IMMC institute. This reality also entails a particular responsibility, as laboratory activities can have a significant impact on the environment. With this in mind, the three platforms of the IMMC institute—CREDEM, LACAMI and LEMSC—have decided to commit to the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) program.
25 November 2025

Motion capture at LEMSC: from iron man to structural engineering

The LEMSC technology platform has recently expanded its experimental setup with a new eight-camera motion capture system from Vicon. Known for bringing characters to life in movies and video games or to study the human body, motion capture is now being used at iMMC to track and analyze the 3D movement of civil engineering structures.
16 September 2025

Building a 9.3-meter wooden tower without a single nail, screw, or dowel? The LEMSC team took on the challenge!

As part of a project involving Tongji University and UCLouvain, LEMSC contributed to the construction of a 9.30-meter wooden tower without nails, screws, or dowels.
17 September 2025

Offshore wind turbines: LEMSC puts their foundations to the test of time

LEMSC developed and tested a system that pushed two offshore wind turbine foundation piles to their breaking point.
16 September 2024

Offshore wind turbines: CREDEM and LEMSC provide support for installation studies

These new giants of the seas, with blades that can reach heights of 300 metres above the water, can be installed in moderately deep waters, such as in the North Sea, using monopiles: hollow metal cylinders over 10 metres in diameter and 40 metres tall, weighing more than 1,000 tonnes, driven into the seabed to support the wind turbine mast.
13 June 2023

A hammock suspended above the water and at maximum distance from the bank: the LEMSC hosts the STRUCTURE CHALLENGE

Calculating, building and testing a support structure for a suspended hammock... to allow a person to rest above the water, at maximum distance from the bank: this is the aim of the DEFI STRUCTURE.