About AUSEO

Location: ELB09, College of Engineering , American University of Sharjah

The United Arab Emirates sits near the edge of the Arabian Plate adjacent to the Iranian plateau and close to Zagros Fault, which is characterized by high seismic activities. The Iranian plateau frequently suffers destructive and catastrophic earthquakes that cause heavy loss of human life and widespread damage in buildings and infrastructure. Due to its proximity to the Iranian Block, and the recent increase in the rate of seismic activity of the region, the UAE is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to earthquakes that are occurring at and around the Zagros fault. The March 11, 2002 earthquake that hit Masafi is an incident that has not been witnessed in recent years. It is evident that no part of the land is completely free of seismic activity.

The AUS Earthquake Observatory uses state-of-the art equipment and software to record and analyze the earthquake activity in the region. The lab is supported by the world-class, large-scale soil dynamics testing machine from MTS, which simulates various dynamic loading scenarios and tests including the actual recorded seismic data. Dynamic axial loading as well as lateral confining pressure can be applied simultaneously or in combination based on the test requirements, with fully control/monitor overload, confining pressure, pore pressure, back pressure, volume change and more. In addition, this lab is equipped with various types of subsurface exploration equipment and a drilling machine.

The following courses use the laboratory:

CVE 331 Geotechnical Engineering Principles
CVE 333 Geotechnical Engineering Design
CVE 442 Advanced Foundation Engineering
CVE 446 Geotechnical Dam Engineering
CVE 448 Port and Harbor Engineering
CVE 491 Capstone Projects