Facilities
Mechanical Testing Facilities
The Mechanics of Advanced Materials Lab has access to a wide range of mechanical testing facilities. Specifically, a table-top 10 kN test frame and a higher capacity 100 kN electromechanical test frames exist in our facilities. Both test frames are equipped with software capabilities for cyclic loading. Both test frames are also equipped with a number of different test fixtures, including tensile grips, compression platens, and bending fixtures allowing for a wide range of mechanical testing and on a variety of different engineering materials. All mechanical testing instruments can be connected to our existing Digital Image Correlation (DIC) equipment to allow for in-situ full-field strain measurements at length scales ranging from sub-millimeter to significantly larger dimensions.
Miniature Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar
The Mechanics of Advanced Materials Lab is equipped with a table-top split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) unit. The SHPB unit is a custom made instrument used for the study of impact and dynamic mechanical and failure response of small-scale samples (≤5×5×5 mm3). The SHPB unit is equipped with a pressure-controlled air gun with variable pressure between 5 and 100 psi. The wide collection of available projectiles designed and fabricated for this instrument makes it possible to apply controlled impact loadings at strain rates ranging from 900 s-1 to >7000 s-1. This table-top Hopkinson bar is designed such that the bar system can be disassembled, converting the unit to direct impact apparatus. When converted to a direct impact test equipment, a high frequency force sensor placed at the rear end of an impacted sample will be used to record the impact force response of the sample.
Miniature load-frame for micromechanical characterization
The micromechanics facilities at our research lab also includes a custom-made miniaturized load-frame used for testing of non-standard small-scale samples. The available digital image correlation equipment will be used in conjunction with this miniaturized load frame to facilitate in-situ characterization of micro and mesoscale mechanical and failure response of samples at reduced length scales.
This test instrument was recently upgraded by adding another pair of linear actuators (positioned perpendicular to the existing axial actuators) to allow for controlled bi-axial testing of soft materials and structures.
Digital Image Correlation (DIC) Facilities
The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art 2D and 3D (stereo) digital image correlation (DIC) systems (Correlated Solutions, Inc.). The DIC systems allow for non-contact in-situ measurment of deformation and strain fields. Accurate measurment of elastic moduli, Poisson’s ratios, and other mechanical constants is possible through the use of this DIC unit. The available DIC system is equipped with high magnification optical lenses (Navitar, 12X and 18X zoom lenses) that facilitate in-situ deformation measurements at sub-millimeter length scales. These high magnification lenses enable measuring of mechanical response of a test piece at areas of interest as small as 400×300 µm2.
The available DIC software package includes a state-of-the-art code for the analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. This feature allows for in-situ measurements to be conducted at significantly smaller length scales, making it possible to explore the underlying micromechanical behavior of heterogeneous materials systems, such as foams and composites.
Additive Manufacturing Equipment
The laboratory is equipped with various Additive Manufacturing (AM) equipment, including a number of different Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printers with the capability to print both stiff and flexible structures, including a dedicated FFF printers for flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). We also have access to a Formlabs Stereolithography (SLA) printer and a Markforged composite printer.
In addition to the 3D printing facilities, Koohbor lab is also a user of the VRC cold spray unit in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Rowan University.
Optical Microscopy
Our laboratory is equipped with various sample preparation and microscopy equipment. Our optical microscope is a 2-225X stereo zoom microscope equipped with a high speed 20 MP camera. The optical microscopy facilities can be connected to the existing DIC equipment to allow for micromechanics characterization of materials and structures.
Other facilities and Instruments
Sample Preparation equipment
100Mhz digital oscilloscope with 4 channels
Technical Engineering Software: Ansys, SwiftComp