The laboratory includes a variety of educational machines, to introduce students to the mechanical characterization of metals, ceramics, polymers and composites.
Uniaxial Testing A compact machine for compressive and tensile tests (100kN maximum load) on different materials and structures.
Unsymmetrical Bending and Shear Centre Studies of vertical and horizontal deflection of different asymmetric (unsymmetrical) sections.
Bending Testing The beam apparatus examines the deflection and the forces on different types of beams (19 mm wide x 1350 mm long) for a wide range of supports and loads.
Torsion Testing A bench-mounted machine for torsion tests (30 Nm nominal capacity) to determine the shear modulus and upper and lower yield stresses for normalized steel specimens (750 mm maximum specimen length).
Strain Gauge Testing Shows and compares how resistance strain gauges work, and how they measure strains in different structures.
Creep Test Bench-mounted machine which demonstrates the phenomenon of creep under different conditions and in different materials (Lead, Polypropylene).
Thin Cylinder Investigations into stresses and strains in a thin cylinder (aluminium alloy) for the calculation of longitudinal stress, hoop (or circumferential) stress, radial stress and biaxial stress.
Thick Cylinder Bench-mounted machine to apply stress and strain tests on a thick-walled cylinder (aluminium alloy) for the determination of radial and hoop strains throughout the cylinder wall, radial and hoop stress distribution in the wall and longitudinal stress and strain at the outer surface.
Rotating Fatigue Testing Demonstrates the failure of materials when subjected to an alternating stress (maximum stress of approximately 350 MPa).
Round Diaphragm Bench-mounted machine which allows to apply stress, strain and deflection tests on a diaphragm
Stiffness of Materials and Structures Bench-mounting apparatus enabling a variety of investigations into material stiffness (Brass, steel, aluminium, wood, acrylic and polyethylene (PETG)).
Loading and Buckling of Struts Tests different types of struts and shows how they deflect under load.