The Mechanical Test Laboratory provides the highest standards in static and fatigue testing to generate material strength allowables and evaluate the endurance of materials subjected to cyclic loading. The laboratory supports both metal and composite testing with research funded by the aviation industry and government-related research projects.

With more than 30 load frames and 60 personnel, the lab is equipped to meet the research, testing and certification needs of aviation companies, materials manufacturers, government agencies and more.

 

 

 

capabilities
 


  • Static and cyclic testing (ASTM and non-standard)
  • Impact drop testing
  • Slow-cycle fatigue testing
  • High temperature testing to 2500° F
  • ASTM/ Boeing/ SACMA standard testing
  • Ability to design and fabricate non-standard test fixtures and perform non-standard tests
  • Aging studies
  • Damage tolerance of sandwich panels
  • Specimen conditioning
  • Environmental testing (-200F to +600F)
  • Full-scale structural testing
  • Specimen machining (ASTM and non-standard)
  • Strain gauging and specimen QC
facilities & equipment
 












  • 32 load frames: 5.5, 22, 55, 110 and 220-kip load frames with environmental testing chambers
  • Slow cycle fatigue machines
  • MTS TestStar IIm test controllers and MTS Flextest GT test controllers with multi-channel data acquisition capabilities
  • 35-50 -kip structural actuators
  • Impact drop tower
  • Laser extensometers
  • MTS clip-on displacement gages
  • MTS high temperature chambers (up to 2500° F) and high-temperature uniaxial extensometers
  • Strain Smart (multichannel strain indicating software)
  • Strain calibrators
  • Istra (a highly sensitive, non-contact 3D electronic speckle pattern interferometry device to measure thermal expansion and full-field strains)
  • 60,000 in-lb torsion test fixture
  • 2x4 foot compression test fixture
  • Fractomat channels, clip gages and stereoscopes to monitor fatigue crack growth
  • Uniaxial and biaxial extensometers
  • ARAMIS photogrammetry system, a non-contact optical 3D deformation measuring system to characterize displacements and strains in components
  • Environmental chambers to conduct static and fatigue testing in temperatures ranging from -200F to 600 F
  • Wide range of fixtures to conduct testing per ASTM/ Boeing/ SACMA standards
  • On-site equipment calibration lab
representative projects
 








  • Bonded Repair of Composite Laminate and Sandwich Structures
  • Aging of Composite Airframe Structures: Aging Effect Evaluation of a Decommissioned B737 Horizontal Stabilizer
  • Aging of Composite Airframe Structures: Beechcraft Starship Teardown Evaluation
  • Data and Methodologies for Structural Life Evaluation of Small Airplanes
  • Stress Concentration Investigation Under Fatigue Loading
  • Mechanical Strength Testing of Graphite Epoxy Laminates with a Modified Cure Cycle
  • Material Qualification of Stretched and Unstretched Graphite Epoxy Discontinuous Fibers
  • NDI Bondline Evaluation of Repaired Graphite Epoxy Laminates Using Autoclave and an Alternate Compaction Method
  • Cargo Barrier Flexural Properties
  • Fatigue of Graphite Epoxy Composite Sandwich Coupons
  • Effects of Defects on the Performance of Graphite-Epoxy Laminates
  • Effects of Defects Testing: Composite Skin Gouge Allowable Damage Limit Screening Tests
  • Fatigue and Residual Strength of Bolted Metal/ Composite Joints for Structural Repair
  • Aluminum 2024 and 7050 Crack Retardation Parameters
  • Dynamic Properties of Seat Cushions
  • Blind Fastener Usage in Composite Structures
downloads / links
 
 
contacts