The academic direction of construction machines and mechanical devices originates from the "Construction and rail transport." department at the Institute of Railway Transport Engineers in Tbilisi, which was headed by Professor Ivane Bakradze, one of the outstanding figures of mechanical engineering in Georgia.

In 1959, after merging with the Polytechnic Institute of Georgia, the "Department of construction and road machinery and equipment" was established on the basis of the said department in 1961, which was headed by the famous scientific Professor Yuri Kartvelishvili from the day of its establishment until 1989. From 1989 to 2020 it was headed by Professor Mikheil Shilakadze. From 2021, the Department No. 108 of "Construction Machinery" is headed by Professor Tamaz Khmelidze. At different times, the Department functioned at the faculties of mechanical engineering, auto mechanics, construction and transport, and currently at the Faculty of Construction of GTU.

During the time of its existence, the Department has more than 2000 graduate specialists who are successfully working both in Georgia and abroad. Twelve of them are doctors of technical sciences.  

Main goals and functions

The department operates with an accredited educational program, the main directions of which are: mechanization of construction, crane-transport, transport, construction-road vehicles and mechanical devices of enterprises of construction industry, as well as port transport-technological facilities (hereinafter MM, ASSSM, SIMM and SSTS).

Main objective:  

Arrangement and implementation of the work of specialists determined by relevant state standards and educational programs on the country level and international requirements in accordance with the profile of the Department.   

Main goals:

• Provision of teaching of disciplines and training courses taken into account by state standards and educational programs by introduction of modern pedagogical technologies in educational process.
• Organization and implementation of fundamental, research and applied scientific research in accordance with the profile of the Department.
• Organization and implementation of multi-level professional education systems in accordance with the profile of the Department.
• Implementation of scientific and engineering-technical policy in the country in accordance with the profile of the Department.

Main functions:

Fields of educational activity:

• Elaboration of relevant curriculum of educational programs (including professional education).
• Elaboration and submission of textbooks, teaching-methodical complexes of disciplines and other methodical literature.
• Conducting training provided by the curriculum;
• Conducting independent works;
• Interim control of students' performance;
• Control over qualification papers of doctoral students and master's students and making conclusions thereon.

Scientific-research direction:

• Provision of a report on the completed research and scientific works.
• Participation in scientific-methodical and scientific-practical conferences.
• Preparation of reviews on monographs, scientific articles, dissertations.
• Selection of candidates to enroll in doctoral studies.
• Review of individual work plans of master's and doctoral students.
• Listening to periodical reports of master's and doctoral students.
• Making conclusions on the qualification theses of master's and doctoral students.

Department is obliged:

• To ensure high efficiency of actions under assigned obligations.
• Do not allow breach of internal regulations.

Composition and structure:

• Composition depends on the volume of the training load and peculiarity of scientific research;
• In its structure, the Department has laboratories with experimental stands, a training-scientific center, a computer room.