Facilities

Mechanical testing

Mechanical testing can be performed on any of several different types of load frames in order to meet the requirements of a particular test.

The load frame types include three MTS axial, closed-loop, servo-hydraulic test systems with load capacities ranging from 20 to 110 KiP’s; one MTS axial, closed-loop, screw-driven test system with load cells ranging from 2 to 30 KN. All of the load frames are completely automated with data acquisition, reduction, and control software written specifically for tests typically associated with constitutive parameter evaluation and damage mechanics. For elevated temperature testing, the laboratory is appropriately equipped with furnaces, extensometers and temperature sensing/control devices, to suit a variety of isothermal, as well as transient temperature testing requirements. A wide range of testing temperatures can be accomplished using different heating methods such as conduction, convection, and induction heating. The lab also has a variety of extensometers for low to high temperatures.

 

Microstructural Analysis and Material Characterization

To ensure the highest quality metallography, all required preparatory equipment is provided. This includes a Struers Secotom-10 automatic low-force diamond saw and a Struers automatic polisher with a Multidoser diamond solution dispenser. The lab is equipped with a Leica MEF4M metallograph, a high-resolution digital camera, Image-Pro imaging software. A Perkin Elmer Pyris 1 Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) is also utilized for the measurement of transformation temperatures and latent heat associated with phase transformations.

 

 

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