Light Alloy Lab

Purpose

Conduct materials research in a multi-disciplinary environment. This laboratory is shared by multiple research branches and facilitates interactions between disciplines including fracture mechanics, material processing, microscopic analysis, and nondestructive evaluation.
Equipment/Test Method
Differential Scanning Calorimeters

  • Differential Scanning Calorimeters (DSC)
 servo-electric test machine

  • Servo-Electric Test Machine
Scanning Electron Microscope

  • Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM)
 Scanning Electron Microscope

  • Optical Microscopes
Furnaces for Air and Vacuum

  • Numerous furnaces (air and vacuum)
 Vacuum Hot Press

  • Vacuum hot press (VHP)
Plasma spray Chamber

  • Plasma spray
 Servo-Hydraulic Test stands

  • Additional servo-hydraulic test machines

 

Typical/Recent Experiments

  • Characterized shape memory alloys using DSC
  • Numerous failure analyses of aerospace structural components using SEM microscopy
  • Production of metal-matrix composites using VHP