Uses:

• Strength and thermal testing of roadway and bridge materials
• Construction material analyses
• High-performance materials research
• Low-temperature and thermal cycling performance analysis of composite materials

General Description:

• Low-temperature low-strain-rate materials testing machines
  • 225,000 lbf capacity, 25 to -60°C
  • 60,000 lbf capacity, 80 to -80°C
  • 10,000 lbf capacity, 25 to -30°C
  • 20,000 lbf at -30°C (cold room)
  • Multi-point 100,000 lb capacity flexural
  • Flexural fatigue testing, multi-point 30,000-lb capacity
  • Compression tension million pounds, cold room
  
  
• Low-temperature high-strain rate materials testing equipment
  • Split Hopkinson pressure bars for -80°C compression, tension, and rotational shear tests
  • Charpy impact testing machine for brittleness index studies
  • Drop shock tester for low-temperature shock tests
  
  
• Thermal cycling chambers
  • Automated low (2.2-cu-ft), high (5.0-cu-ft), very high (50-cu-ft) capacity, temperature range -100 to 100°C and -70 to 25°C
  • Rapid freeze/thaw concrete test
  
  
• Specially fabricated UV radiometry system for exposing testing materials to controlled doses of radiation
• Instrumentation for measurement of thermal properties

Current Projects:

• Effects of thermal cycling on composite helicopter blades
• Composite bridge performance at low temperatures