Advanced Materials Testing and Evaluation Laboratory (AMTEL)
The Advanced Materials Testing and Evaluation Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for mechanical testing of coupon specimens to determine baseline engineering properties, conduct sophisticated biaxial testing, and perform full field optical stress analysis.
The lab includes test frames with a range of tension-tension and tension-torsion loading at rates appropriate for creep testing up to high cycle fatigue analysis. Each of these machines can additionally be coupled with a broad range of temperature control capabilities.
Machine capacities vary from 500 Newtons to 400 kilonewtons for sample dimensions ranging from microns to centimeters. In conjuction with these servohydraulic and screw driven load frames, AMTEL has developed a state-of-the-art optical stress analysis lab with modern tools for Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Photoelastic Stress Analysis (PSA), Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) as well as Thermography capabilities for nondestructive testing. Metallic, polymer, semiconductor, biological, ceramic, and composite samples can be tested to study the fatigue, creep and fracture behavior of materials and components.