This NU-MRSEC funded facility provides testing equipment for studying the mechanical behavior of materials. We have the capability of conducting tension, compression, fatigue, creep, stress rupture, impact, and 3 or 4-point bend tests. Additional equipment is also available to perform tests in controlled atmospheres, vacuum, and cover the temperature range of 77.2°K to 1773°K.
The computer-interfaced MTS machines can perform static and dynamic mechanical tests that relate an applied force to the elastic, anelastic, and/or plastic deformation of solid materials. The facility also makes available investigation of strain or stress controlled fatigue experiments, fatigue crack initiation studies, fatigue crack propagation studies, cyclic hardening, cyclic softening and cyclic stress-stain curve measurements under computer control.
- Crack opening displacement gages
- Fatigue machine, equipped with a Centorr high temperature (1100C) environmental chamber.
- Five MTS machines (three servo-hydraulic, one servo-electric, and one screw driven tensile machine)
- Laser extensometer crack opening displacement gages
- Metallurgical microscope
- Three ATS constant load creep apparatus