Facilities
The Mechanics of Active Materials Laboratory is equipped for experimental and computational study of a range of active materials. Experimental efforts aim to characterize and apply electromechanical and thermomechanical active materials and devices. Computational studies generally focus on relating active response at the nano-length scale to that observed at the macro-length scale.
MTI-5K
The MTI-5K screw driven load frame with two load cells (20kN and 500N) can accommodate measurement of a broad range of mechanical properties.
BEMCO model FTU3.0
The Bemco Temperature/Humidity chamber with -70 to +250C temperature range, and 10% to 95% humidity range is fitted to the load frame to allow mechanical properties tesing under extreme conditions.
RDP Group Video Extensometer model ME46-450
The video extensometer not only enables strain measurement through the glass of the environmental chamber for otherwise difficult or impossible extreme conditions measurements, but by virtue of being a non-contacting measurement technique is advantageous even for ambient conditions tests, where traditional contacting measurement strategies may affect the very property you seek to measure.
Kepco BHK1000-40MG
The Kepco BHK1000-40MG 1000V power amplifier is employed for driving piezoelectric materials and devices, which have very high power density but require high voltage.
Keithley 6517A Electrometer
The Keithley 6517A Electrometer/High Resistance Meter is employed for monitoring material surface charge accumuluation in response to electromechanical stimulus. This is primarily employed for piezoelectric materials but is anticipated for use with custom designed electroactive polymers.
Keison Carbolite Model PF30
The Keison Carbolite Bench Top Oven is employed for sample preparation. With programmable ramp rates, a maximum temperature of 300C +/- 1C, and Liquid Nitrogen inlet, the lab is equipped for in-house sample molding molding, curing, and annealing.
Mettler Toledo AB204-S Analytical Balance
The Mettler Toledo AB204-S Balance is employed for monitoring changes material mass, where water uptake is typically of greatest concern. The balance has an upper limit of 220g and is accurate to +/- 0.1 mg, thereby enabling water uptake measurements within +/- 1% accuracy for typical ionic polymer films cut to approximately 4mm X 2cm dimensions.
Dell Precision Workstation 670
The Laboratory is also equipped with a Dell Precision Workstation 670, with dual processor, 1GB of memory, 3.0 GHz processor, and 2MB L2 cache, which is dedicated to computational work. Available software includes EES, Excel, Visual C++, Compaq Visual Fortran, and access to ABAQUS through the SWANSON Center.
