Research
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Key figures

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Lafarge dedicates nearly 170 million euros per year to research, product development and industrial performance and process improvement. This investment is significantly higher than that of other players in the sector.

Research figures

  • A budget of 170 million euros, equal to 1% of the Group's sales.
  • Over 1,300 employees around the world, with teams of scientists, engineers and technicians who are experts in their fields.
  • The Research center, a high-tech hothouse with a budget of 25 million euros and 200 experts of 10 nationalities devoted to fundamental research.
  • Skills in cutting-edge fields such as:
    • hydration chemistry,
    • physics,
    • rheology,
    • micro-mechanics.
  • The latest technologies, including nuclear magnetic resonance, electron microscopy, nano-indentation and atomic force microscopy.
  • Hundreds of patents filed worldwide in 15 key areas, corresponding to an equivalent number of innovative formulas, products and industrial processes.

 

The patent portfolios continues to grow considerably, notably the patents from the Research center. We observe a steadily growth in the last 3 years: total number of patents:

  • 2007: 580
  • 2006: 464
  • 2005: 394
  • Organization
  • Ambitions
  • Research partnerships
  • Science & materials
Crawley, UK, Technical center

L.C.R.

The Lafarge Research Center

Founded in 1887, the laboratory was the first in the world to specialize in cement. Since then, it has become the world's leading laboratory in the field of building materials. The L.C.R. has 15,000 m² of premises in which an international team of technicians and researchers focuses on the science of building materials. The L.C.R. is located at L'Isle d'Abeau, near Lyon, France.

 

Organization

Rheology

This term is derived from the Greek words "rheo" (to flow) and "logos" (study). Rheology is the study of the flow (plasticity, elasticity, viscosity and fluidity) of deformable materials. In architecture, rheology is used to study the deformation of foundations. Other applications include the study of landslides in geophysics and the deformation of foundations in geo-mechanics.
Glossary

Last update on 06/05/2008

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Lafarge & Columbia University

Innovative concretes & sustainable architecture

Find out all the program of the conferences dedicated to concrete and organized by Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture in exclusive partnership with Lafarge.

All the program