The aim of this laboratory is for students to become acquainted with the different standard laboratory tests which evaluate the mechanical properties of building materials and their practical behavior in the laboratory, in order to predict their behavior in civil works.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: (1) Analyze the resistance of different soil types, based on laboratory and field tests. (2) Calculate soil thrust on retaining elements, determine the safety of embankments and provide elements to calculate the load capacity in different soils, (3) Apply numerical methods for linear fit of functions, numerical integration, and to obtain roots.

Students will broaden the knowledge acquired during the first level. They are expected to express likes and dislikes, preferences, suggestions, and advice for daily situations such as traveling, places to visit, food, and restaurants.  They will also be able to talk about the future to make plans for practical purposes and to express their wishes, goals, and the actions leading to those goals.

Students will be able to learn and manipulate the fundamental principles for the analysis, design and selection of mechanical elements as well as the most widely used design methodologies.

Students will apply previously acquired knowledge to various concrete situations of every-day life through dialogs and group conversations: going shopping, at the airport, at the doctor's office, at the university, among others.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to solve heat transfer problems by conduction, convection and radiation either in a stable or unstable state, in order to analyze and evaluate their different applications.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to operate the first and second law of Thermodynamics in the calculation of the parameters involved in the gas, steam, cooling, and air conditioning cycles, and therefore, they will also be able to analyze and evaluate these systems.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to use the main design methodologies for product development in order to optimize design the process timeframes, materials, number of parts and assembly time.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to solve Engineering problems by using the method of finite elements based on computer codes developed in the course. They will also use commercial software to solve high-level complex problems.

Upon completion of this course, students will be knowledgeable in the phenomena of friciton, wear, and lubrication. They will know how to research the tribological properties of different materials and select the materials to use under certain work conditions.