Presentation
Presentation
António Santos Silva
Head of Unit
The Organic Materials and Metallic Materials Unit (NMOM) resulted from the restructuring of DM in 2024, by the merging of the previous Organic Materials Unit and Metallic Materials Unit that were created in 2002.
To NMOM are assigned competences in the area of organic materials and products used in the construction industry (organic coatings, paints and similar products, plastic materials and polymer matrix composites, bituminous binders), in the area of metallic materials and inorganic coatings and in the chemical, mineralogical and microstructural characterization of contemporary materials and with historical interest.
For the development of its activity, NMOM has a multidisciplinary team, with elements from the scientific research career and technicians specialized in the different fields of action, having resources to support the development and certification of the quality of materials and products, as well as the optimization of their durability and performance in service. It has a vast set of analysis techniques for the physical, chemical, electrochemical, mineralogical, and microstructural characterization of materials, and several types of chambers for exposure to environments, for studies of durability of materials, and assessment of their performance are available.
NMOM has experimental means of evaluating mechanical, thermal and rheological properties of organic materials and inspection and monitoring instruments for the diagnosis and modelling of chemical degradation mechanisms of metallic materials and inorganic coatings.
Activity
The Organic Materials and Metallic Materials Unit (NMOM) develops R&D&I and construction industry support activities, aiming to contribute to the improvement of the quality of organic and metallic materials and products used in civil engineering:
- Technical assessment of products, namely with a view to granting Application Documents for paints and varnishes and obtention of ETAs for road marking materials;
- Studies in the field of polymeric matrix composites, bituminous binders and organic coatings;
- Characterization tests and performance assessment, namely in the scope of support for CE marking of coatings for concrete protection and for certification of plastic piping;
- Support for the granting and renewal of quality labels Qualicoat, Qualideco, Qualisteelcoat and Qualanod;
- Physical and chemical characterization of metallic materials, products, and coatings;
- Mineralogical and microstructural characterization of construction materials;
- Management of physical and digital archives of construction materials;
- Diagnosis of causes of chemical degradation of materials, namely concrete internal expansive reactions (ASR and ISR);
- Electrochemistry, corrosion and protection of metallic materials;
- Assessment of the state of conservation, monitoring and durability of metallic materials;
- Materials failure analysis;
- Participation in Scientific and Technical Commissions.
Different research projects are under development at NMOM, included in the LNEC Research Strategy for the period 2022-2027.
Within the scope of the implementation of its activities, NMOM comprises the following Operating Units:
- Metal and Inorganic Coatings Laboratory
- Laboratory for Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of Materials
- Laboratory for Mineralogical and Microstructural Characterization of Materials
The tests carried out by the Unit and the respective costs are available for consultation.