Facilities

Centers

Center for Composite Materials and Structures

Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute

Materials Response Group

Research Labs

Adhesion Mechanics Laboratory

Mechanical, electrical, and optical techniques are employed to characterize adhesives and determine performance of adhesively bonded joints and structures. Fracture mechanics principles are widely used to better understand joint capabilities. Special equipment includes a 10,000 lb. MTS servohydraulic test frame used for fatigue testing, a 20,000 lb. Instron test frame with an assortment of load cells for conducting strength and fracture tests, two drop towers for impact studies, a high speed camera, an environmental chamber for use in the load frames, a Nikon microscope, a micromanipulator used for testing coating adhesion, a Veeco interferometric profilometer, and computers and work stations used for finite element analysis.

Biomechanics Laboratory

Microscopes, micromanipulation systems, and microsurgery, all mounted on a vibration isolation table for making microscopic force and displacement measurements in the vestibular system of the inner ear. Micropitette and Microforge manufacturing capability. Hematology microscope and blood examination equipemtn. Implantable blood flow measurement equipement. Blood viscosity measurement. Silicon Graphic Indigo 2 work station with associated software to carry out FEA analysis along with several personal computers.

Cardiovascular Hemodynamics Laboratory

Composite Fabrication Laboratory

The Composites Fabrication Laboratory provides the following equipment for processing composite materials:

1. A three feet by five feet autoclave system.
2. A seventy five ton vacuum hot press with eighteen inch by eighteen inch steel platens to temperatures of 800 degrees F.
3. A one hundred ton compression hot press.
4. A fifty ton hydraulic compression hot press with sixteen inch by sixteen inch platens to 600 degrees F.
5. A twenty five ton pneumatic compression hot press with sixteen inch by sixteen inch platens to 600 degrees F.
6. Clean room facility for composite lay ups and processing.
7. Fume hood for ventilation of curing materials.
8. Large Bally walk in freezer for material storage at low temperatures.
9. K.O.Lee slicer wet saw unit for trimming and cutting composites.
10. A variety of steel molds for the processing of thermoset and thermoplastic materials.

Creep Laboratory

This laboratory contains several lever-arm creep frames, a four-station stepper motor creep frame, and a 72-station pneumatic creep frame. Each is equipped with an oven for conducting tests at elevated temperatures. These units are used to measure the time dependent response of polymeric materials, including adhesives, adhesively bonded joints, and composites. Effects of time, temperature, and stress level are collected for creep, relaxation, and creep rupture loading situations.

Fluid Mechanics Laboratory

This lab contains a water tunnel, a wind tunnel and a towing tank. Such facilities are used to test wing sections, hydrofoils, ship hulls and other devices employed in fluid machinery. Laser-Doppler velocimeters, hot wire anemometers and pressure transducers are among the instruments employed.

Georgia Pacific Adhesion Science Laboratory

A complete thermal analysis system is used to measure the effects of temperature on polymer behavior. Modern TA Instruments units include a modulated DSC (differential scanning calorimeter), DMA (dynamic mechanical analyzer), and modulated TGA (thermogravimetric analyzer). Conditioning chambers for looking at the effects of environment on polymer and adhesively bonded joint performance are also located in this area. A fume hood, refrigerator, centrifuge, vacuum system, and several ovens are used for processing, bonding, and curing specimens.

Kevin P. Granata Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory

The MBL conducts research investigating movement patterns, musculoskeletal loads, and motor control of the human body. The primary focus of the research conducted in the MBL is injury prevention. In studying injuries, the MBL utilizes experimental studies of human subjects and biomechanical modeling to accomplish our research goals.

Laboratory for Scientific Visual Analysis

Current computer graphic software has provided a useful tool to the engineer and scientist who has no working knowledge for developing complex graphic software. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has created several super computing centers which have emphasized how scientists can use graphical tools (visualization) in their research. Our Laboratory for Scientific Visual Analysis has affiliated with the NSF National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) where we have implemented all of the NCSA visual tools on our computer workstations. With these visual tools and multimedia workstations we provide the students and faculty a new educational media for the classroom.

Materials Response Laboratories

The strength and life of advanced material systems, including polymer and ceramic matrix composites, are determined in these laboratories. The facilities include four servo-hydraulic, dynamic testing machines; an array of nondestructive testing and evaluation equipment; and a number of specialty instruments such as thermographic cameras, interfacial strength measurement units and computer interface systems.

Multi-Phase Flow Laboratory

Multiphysics Research Group

The Multiphysics Research Group (MuRG) investigates transport phenomena and reaction chemistry at the nano, micro and continuum scales using both numerical and experimental methods. The group specializes in techniques such as lattice Boltzmann method, Molecular Dynamics, Stokesian Particle Dynamics amongst others. In addition to theoretical and numerical studies, the group also characterizes materials experimentally using advanced diagnostics such as the Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Laser Induced Fluorescence, to name a few. Current research focuses on microscale mixing using field effects (eg. magnetic or electroosmotic forces), growth models for carbon nanotubes and their characterization, mass and ion transport through carbon nanotubes and heat transfer at the nanoscale. Efforts such as these are indispensable for the advancement of research and development at the frontier of science.

Nonlinear Dynamics/Vibration Research Laboratory

In this laboratory, analog, digital, analytical, and experimental investigations are conducted. The facilities available include analog computers, digital computers, workstations, an optical measurement system, electrodynamic shakers, transducers, and signal analyzers among other things. The models used in the laboratory serve as analogues of several systems and the work conducted in this laboratory is pertinent to the design, identification, dynamics and control of aircraft, space structures, and other systems.

Theoretical and experimental investigations are also being conducted to study the nonlinear dynamics of ships and submarines, especially complicated motions, such as capsizing. Experiments with ship models are carried out in the towing tank, which is equipped with a wavemaker, a custom made measuring system, wave probes, and a signal analyzer.

Photoelastic & Fracture Laboratory

Optical methods of analysis applied to fracture (cracked body)problems, including three-dimensional measurements.

Servohydraulic Laboratory

Experiments depicting the fatigue cracking of aircraft aluminum under cyclic loading are performed. The growth of the crack with its number of cycles is correlated with a special variable, K, which is a measure of the severity of the combination of loading, deometry, and crack size which is present. The gradual cracking process is called fatigue.

Support Facilities

Computer Laboratory

The ESM Computer Lab is a general use computing facility available to ESM students, faculty, and staff. It contains workstations running MS Windows, UNIX, and Linux, and is available 24/7

Machine Shop

Fully equipped and staffed industrial machine shop.

Materials Testing Laboratory

This lab contains equipment for testing the strength and other mechanical properties of engineering materials, including tests in tension, compression, torsion, fatigue, fracture, impact, and hardness. Equipment ranges from traditional, easy-to-operate universal testing machines to advanced computer-controlled closed-loop equipment. Use of the equipment for undergraduate instruction and senior projects has priority, but the equipment is also used for the ESM Dept., other departments at the university and by local industry.

Teaching Labs

Fluid Mechanics Lab

This lab contains a water tunnel, a wind tunnel and a towing tank. Such facilities are used to test wing sections, hydrofoils, ship hulls and other devices employed in fluid machinery. Laser-Doppler velocimeters, hot wire anemometers and pressure transducers are among the instruments employed.

Materials Testing Lab

This lab contains equipment for testing the strength and other mechanical properties of engineering materials, including tests in tension, compression, torsion, fatigue, fracture, impact, and hardness. Equipment ranges from traditional, easy-to-operate universal testing machines to advanced computer-controlled closed-loop equipment. Use of the equipment for undergraduate instruction and senior projects has priority, but the equipment is also used for the ESM Dept., other departments at the university and by local industry.

Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory

Nondestructive Evaluation is the process of evaluating the condition of an object via some method that does not alter the ultimate usefulness of that object. This evaluation can be accomplished by any of a number of different methods depending on which physical property of the object is of interest.

In our NDE lab at Virginia Tech, we have tried to create an environment that promotes learning and practical application of the principles behind the more common NDE techniques. Equipment is available as is training in the basic operations involved in its use. Available methods include: visual inspection, liquid penetrants, magnetic methods, ultrasonics, eddy current methods, radiographic methods, acoustic microscopy.