Other equipment and software
Polishing Machine
The Allied M-PREP 5TM manual grinder/polisher
Grinder/Polisher is used for emery paper/cloth polishing of metallographic specimens.
The MetPrep 3™ grinding and polishing machines
Diamond Saw
The diamond saw is used for precision cutting of metal samples using 4” diamond wafering blades with 5/8” holes. The machine has a large working area with coolant bath below and knob for adjusting cutting speed depending on sample. The maximum cutting width is 3-1/2” and maximum cutting depth is 1”.
Macro-CNC & Mini-CNC
Used in our research to make mini tensile, mini fatigue, small compression, DSC, ASTM tear toughness, ASTM tensile samples in Al, Mg, steel, Ti, and High Entropy Alloys, etc.
Specifications
Tormach Macro-CNC 1100 system:
Stereo Microscope
The stereo microscope is used for optical/light microscopy of metallographic specimens. The specifications of the low power microscope are as follows:
Image Sensor 1/2.3” CMOS
Mini Tensile Testing System
A custom-built computer controlled mini-tensile testing system is shown in the figure above. LabVIEW interface is utilized to control testing and obtain load-displacement data. Futek load cell has a maximum capacity of 500 lbs. Cross-head displacement information is obtained from linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) transducer attached to the movable head. A range of strain rates from 10-2 s-1 to 10-6 s-1 can be achieved. Furthermore, strain rate can be changed dynamically during a monotonic tensile test.
Creep/Stress Rupture Tester
The Creep/Stress Rupture Tester is used for evaluating creep properties of various materials both in tension and compression modes.
Specifications
Hardness Tester
The Buehler-Wilson autohardness tester is capable of indenting and measuring the hardness of a prepared sample - automatically. Standard rate for autohardness is approximately five measurements every two minutes. The microscopy component of this machine is capable of magnifications of up to 200X, with good clarity.
X-ray Microscopy (XRM)
A non-destructive microscopic technology suitable for in-depth study of materials that may not be seen via SEM and AFM. XRM provides opportunities for material characterization, observation of fracture mechanics, investigation of properties at multiple length-scales. Excellent instrument to study additive manufactured (AM) specimens, dissimilar welded metals and alloys, and in situ tensile and compressional studies.
Specifications
•X-ray Source
Type Sealed transmission
Tube Voltage Range 30 – 160 kV
Modeling-COMSOL
COMSOL is a finite element analysis software capable of simulating problems involving multiphysics phenomena. Each of the physics modules available in COMSOL is categorized according to their application areas, each of which is equipped with excellent user interfaces.