CAPE Laboratory

Materials Characterization and Testing

Research and Development requires reliable characterization, to reveal valid process-structure-property relationships. CAPE Lab has full access to the EMES analytical facilities, as well as analytical equipment in the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, and Chemistry, Biology and Health Sciences. In addition, the CAPE facility houses a range of mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical testing equipment used in polymer and composite R&D, as listed below.

MTS 810 Teststar II Material Testing System and Environmental Chamber:  Our 810 Material Testing System delivers a broad array of testing capabilities for both low and high force static and dynamic testing. With a broad range of force, the benefits of a environmental chamber, and computer integration this tester provides precise and reliable data with ease.

Features

  • Force ranges from 25 kN (5.5 kip) to 100 kN (22 kip)
  • The ability to test materials ranging in strength from plastics to aluminum, composites and steel
  • A large test space to accommodate standard, medium and large size specimens, grips, fixtures and environmental subsystem
  • The capability to perform a wide variety of test types from tensile to high cycle fatigue, fracture mechanics, and durability of components

Application

  • Environmental Testing
  • Fatigue Testing
  • Fatigue Testing of Composite materials
  • Monotonic Testing
  • Fracture Testing - Fracture Toughness or Fatigue Crack Growth Test
  • Component Testing
  • Biomedical Testing
  • Thermal Mechanical
  • High Temperature Testing
  • Axial Torsion Testing

Technical Specifications

  • 50cc batch size

Using a General Electrics Krautkramer USN 58L, this gantry can classify sub-surface flaws in composite systems.   This scanner can handle multiple non-destructive inspection applications, ranging from research and inspection procedure development activities, up to industrial inspections for corrosion mapping, inspection of fasteners, multi-layered structures, and more.

Features

  • Range 0.040 to 480in. (1 to 12,192 mm) at steel velocity
  • Material Velocity Continuously adjustable from .0394 to .6299 inches/μs
  • Pulse Voltage: Square-wave excitation pulse 50 to 450 V adjustable in 10 V increments

Proper sample preparation crucial when classifying any material. The TegraForce-5 is allows us to handle up to six specimens can be inserted in a specimen mover plate, where the force is applied individually to each specimen.  Coupled with the Tegra Doser 5, automated polishing is made easy.  A Struers Secotom 10 sample saw ensures consistent, high-quality sample sectioning.