Materials at Extremes - Facilities

The 1600 sq ft Extreme Testing Lab houses state-of-the-art thermomechanical testing equipment for the mechanical testing of advanced materials in extreme environments. The lab is equipped with 4 (four) MTS servo hydraulic and 1 (one) Instron electromechanical universal test machine. Load capacity ranges from 50 to 500kN. These machines are equipped with resistance furnaces and/or induction heating systems. Temperatures ranging from room to 1400°C to melt. Heating rates up to 35°C/s can be achieved. Each machine is setup uniquely to support a variety of test methods including static (tensile/compressive/bending), thermal shock, fracture, tensile fatigue, reversed fatigue, creep, advanced creep, and creep-fatigue. Machines can be reconfigured for new test methods. All furnaces are open air and equipped with extensometer/thermocouple ports and viewing windows to enable digital image correlation (DIC). Various standard and high temperature extensometer are available for strain sensing. A correlated solution 3D-DIC system enables full-field surface strain measurements at high temperatures. The system can be upgraded with infrared thermography for measuring temperature gradients and stresses. A large variety of grips and fixtures are available to support a variety of specimen geometry and test methods. The department machine shop can prepare custom fixtures and grips for unique testing requirements. Additional furnaces, test machines, and sensors are under procurement to extend the testing capabilities of MATX to even greater temperatures, longer durations, and extreme atmospheres.

Testing Capabilities

○ Room temperature | ● Elevated temperature | 

¹Static: tensile, compression, bending, etc.

²Advanced Creep: stepped stress method (SSM), slow-strain-rate testing (SSRT), dynamic negative stepped test (DNST)

The PI has access to several institution-level resources to support MATX research including

Creep Testing Laboratory hosts seven (7) conventional creep testing frames from ATSPA. Two (2) frames are equipped with viewing windows for digital image correlation. Two (2) frames are equipped with inflatable bladders for ratcheting creep tests. One (1) frame is equipped with a vacuum chamber, viewing window, and induction heating system to enable controlled atmosphere creep testing.

Center for Design and Manufacturing (CDME) hosts a variety of advance manufacturing capabilities including both $6M in additive manufacturing equipment for printing and processing metals, polymers, composites, biomaterials, and ceramics. Metal printers include EBM, DED, and multiple L-PBF systems.

Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS) host over $50M in capabilities including multiple SEMs with EDS and EBSD mapping, two SEMS equipped with DB-FIB, multiple TEMs including S/TEM, two Cyro-Ems, XRD, and microCT. A full suite of sample preparation equipment and expendables are available for use.

Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL) features The Ohio State University Research Reactor (OSURR), a professional gamma-ray spectroscopy system, multiple gamma-ray irradiators, and other irradiation facilities and radiation measurement equipment.

Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) features high-performance computing solutions, data storage, and scientific software suites to enable advanced computing for research and teaching. MATX has direct access to OSC resources and support to enable next generation computational research activities.