Material Characterization Capabilities

Environmental

Accelerated Aging

• Atlas Suntest XXL
  Xenon arc weathering system for accelerated sunlight exposure testing to evaluate UV stability, color change, and material degradation.
• Q-Lab Q-Sun
  Enables rapid assessment of environmental durability and degradation behavior in composites and coatings under controlled UV, temperature, and moisture conditions
• Q-U-V Accelerated Weathering Tester

Cold, Hot & Wet

• CSZ Environmental Chamber
  Environmental chamber for controlled temperature and humidity exposure testing of materials and components with temperatures down to -45°C. Environmental test chamber for controlled temperature and humidity exposure to evaluate durability and environmental effects on materials and components.
• Tenney Accelerated Aging Chamber – 65C Capable
  Environmental chamber for controlled accelerated aging studies of polymers and composites under elevated temperature conditions.
• Tenney Accelerated Aging Chambers
  Temperature-controlled accelerated aging chambers for evaluating long-term durability, stability, and degradation of polymers, composites, and structural materials.

Mechanical Testing

Fatigue

• Instron 1331 Dynamic Loading Test Frame
  Dynamic testing frame for high-rate tensile, compression, and fatigue evaluation of materials and structural components.
• Instron 1332 Dynamic Loading Test Frame
  High-speed dynamic test system for measuring material response under cyclic and impact loading conditions.
• MTS Servohydraulic Test System with Reaction Floor
  High-performance servohydraulic system for dynamic, fatigue, and multi-axial testing of materials and components.

High-Strain Rate Testing

• Low Velocity Gas Gun
  Controlled gas-propelled projectile system for low-velocity impact testing of materials, composites, and structural components.
• REL Confined (Hydrostatic) Compression Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar
  An advanced high-rate testing system for studying material response under confined and hydrostatic dynamic compression conditions.
• REL Split Hopkinson Bar
  High-strain-rate testing system for evaluating dynamic mechanical behavior of polymers and composites.

Impact Testing

• Dynatup 8000 Instrumented Impact Tester
  Instrumented drop-weight system for evaluating impact resistance, energy dissipation, and failure modes of materials and composites.
• Dynatup 9200 Instrumented Impact Tester
  High-precision impact tester for measuring force, energy absorption, and deformation in materials under dynamic loading.
• Full-Scale High-Energy Drop Tower
  Large-scale drop tower for high-energy impact and crash testing of components, structures, and composite assemblies.
• Instron 8250 Instrumented Impact Tester
  Dynamic impact tester for assessing high-rate material behavior, energy absorption, and failure characteristics of test specimens.
• Instron 9450 Instrumented Impact Tester
  High-speed impact testing system for precise measurement of forces, deflections, and energy absorption in advanced materials.

Static

• Instron 10 kN Load Frame
  Universal mechanical testing system for tensile, compression, and flexural testing of materials and small structural components.
• Instron 4484 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Universal load frame for static tensile, compression, and flexural testing of metals, polymers, and composites.
• Instron 5565 Strength Testing Load Frame
  High-capacity load frame for precise mechanical testing of materials, including stress-strain characterization.
• Instron 5567 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Precision universal testing frame for evaluating tensile, compression, and flexural properties of research specimens.
• Instron 5848 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Universal testing frame for static and dynamic mechanical testing of metals, polymers, and composite materials.
• Instron 5944 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Advanced load frame for high-accuracy tensile, compression, and bending testing of materials and components.
• Instron 5982 Strength Testing Load Frame
  High-capacity testing frame for static and fatigue characterization of large structural specimens.
• Instron 5985 Strength Testing Load Frame
  High-precision universal testing system for mechanical property evaluation of research-scale and structural specimens.
• Instron 8562 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Load frame for high-capacity tensile, compression, and flexural testing with integrated data acquisition.
• Instron 68TM10 Strength Testing Load Frame
  Specialized load frame for controlled mechanical testing under static and quasi-static conditions.
• Thwing-Albert 90 Degree Peel Strength Tester
  Mechanical testing system for measuring adhesive bond strength through controlled 90-degree peel tests of bonded materials and laminates.

Other

• ARAMIS 12M Adjustable DIC System
  Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system for full-field, non-contact measurement of strain, displacement, and deformation during mechanical testing of materials and structures.
• Buehler Micromet II Micro Hardness Tester
  Precision hardness tester for measuring localized material hardness, surface treatment effects, and microstructural properties.
• Instron 3119 Series Environmental Chamber Model 608
  Controlled chamber for environmental testing of research specimens, including thermal and humidity cycling.
• Instron 3119 Series Environmental Chamber Model 609
  Environmental testing chamber for evaluating material behavior under specified temperature and humidity conditions.
• Instron 3119 Series Environmental Chamber Model 615
  Environmental chamber enabling mechanical testing under regulated temperature and humidity conditions.
• Instron 3119 Series Environmental Chamber Model 616
  Chamber providing controlled thermal and humidity conditions for material testing and characterization.
• Rockwell Hardness Tester
  Mechanical testing instrument for measuring hardness of metals and other materials using standardized Rockwell indentation methods.
• Tenny BTRC Temperature and Humidity Test Chamber
  Environmental chamber for controlled temperature and humidity exposure of materials and components for durability testing.

Microstructure

Bruker Dimension Icon Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

An Atomic Force Microscopy platform used to characterize nanoscale topography and local mechanical properties of fibers, particulate reinforcements, and polymer matrices in FRP systems, enabling high-resolution mapping of surface morphology, interphase structure, adhesion, and nanomechanical response. This microscope was purchased by UD-CCM from the Bruker Corporation, a world leader in AFM. The new AFM will extend UD-CCM’s capabilities to explore the multi-scale properties (i.e., mechanical, electrical, topographical, etc.) of materials down to molecular length scales.

• Buehler AutoMet 250 polisher
  Automated polishing system for preparing samples for microstructural evaluation and analysis.
• Bruker D8 Discover 2 Dimension Wide Angle X-Ray
  This system enables determination of crystal structure in a wide variety of materials including polymers, ceramics, and metals. A major research focus for this facility is investigation of oriented polymer films and fibers and evaluation of such parameters as degree of crystallinity, degree of crystal orientation, crystallite size, and changes in crystal structure as a function of temperature and mechanical stress.
• Keyence VHX Microscope
  High-resolution optical microscope suited for rapid inspection and documentation of composite microstructures, defects, fiber waviness, and macroscopic failure modes with minimal sample preparation.
• Keyence VKX1000 Confocal Microscope
  Laser scanning confocal system for non-contact 3D surface characterization and dimensional metrology, supporting evaluation of composite fracture surfaces, fiber architecture, and manufactured part tolerances through quantitative surface profiling.
• Keyence VKX200 Confocal Microscope
  3D laser confocal microscope used for non-contact surface profiling and dimensional measurements of composite components, enabling detailed morphology assessment, crack-path visualization, and verification of as-manufactured part tolerances in FRP laminates.
• METTLER Hotstage FP82 Microscope
  Temperature-controlled microscopy system for observing phase transitions, melting behavior, and thermal changes in materials.
• Nikon UDM Eclipse LV1000 Optical Microscope
  Optical microscopy system for high-resolution imaging and analysis of material microstructures and surface features.
• SkyScan 1172: High Resolution Desktop Micro-CT
  High-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography system enabling non-destructive 3D imaging of internal composite architecture, void distribution, fiber alignment, and damage evolution such as matrix cracking and delamination.

Nondestructive Evaluation

• Keyence LC-2450 High Precision Displacement Laser
  Laser displacement measurement system for accurate, non-contact evaluation of surface profiles, deflections, and deformations in research specimens.
• Keyence VL 3D Scanner
  High-resolution 3D optical scanner for surface geometry capture, dimensional analysis, and inspection of components and prototypes.
• MISTRAS 3x5ft Water Immersion Ultrasonic 4-Axis Scanner
  Automated ultrasonic scanner for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of materials and composites using water immersion and 4-axis positioning.
• MISTRAS 4x6ft Water Immersion Ultrasonic 5-Axis Scanner
  Large water-immersion ultrasonic system with 5-axis control for high-resolution NDE and defect detection in composite and metallic structures.
• SC6100 and A615 IR Cameras
  FLIR cameras for temperature measurement and control: SC6100 science grade IR camera and A615 industrial grade system. The SC6100 camera with microscope attachment provides high-speed (35kHz) and high-resolution (640×512) MWIR imagery and can also be used for IR thermography. The system features a 50-megapixel clock that streams 14-bit digital data at up to 126 Hz in full resolution. The A615 camera is used for process monitoring, automation, and control.

Ovens

• Fisher Scientific Isotemp Laboratory Ovens
  Temperature-controlled laboratory ovens for uniform heating, drying, and thermal conditioning of materials.
• Linberg/Blue M Benchtop Furnace
• Fisher Scientific Laboratory Vacuum Oven
  Temperature-controlled vacuum ovens for drying, curing, and solvent removal under reduced pressure.
• MTI Vacuum Oven
• National Vacuum Oven
• VWR Laboratory Vacuum Oven

Polymer Characterization

• Perkin Elmer FTIR Spectrometer Spectrum 3 and Microscope Spotlight 200i
  FTIR spectroscopy system with microscopy for chemical characterization and spatially resolved analysis of polymers, composites, and coatings.
• BUCHI R-100, B-100, V-100
  Evaporator designed for essential laboratory solvent removal.
• TA Discovery Series DMA-850
  Measure viscoelastic properties of materials under oscillation, creep, and recovery modes.
• TA Discovery Series TMA-450
  Thermomechanical analyzer featuring a highly responsive furnace (-150 to 1000 °C).
• Thermo Scientific NICOLET iS50
  FTIR Built-in ATR and NIR capabilities for rapid high-performance molecular spectroscopy from far-infrared to visible ranges.
• Tosoh EcoSec Elite GPC
  Temperature controlled gel-permeation chromatography for polymers and oligomers.

Thermal Analysis

• DMS DVS Adventure Dynamic Vapor Sorption
  Dynamic vapor sorption analyzer for measuring moisture uptake, sorption kinetics, and humidity-dependent behavior of polymers and composite materials.
• FlackTek Speed Mixer with vacuum
  High-speed centrifugal mixer for rapid, homogeneous mixing and degassing of resins, adhesives, and composite formulations.
• Linkam Hot Stage Microscope
  Temperature-controlled microscopy system for observing microstructural and phase changes in materials during heating or cooling.
• METTLER DMA model 861
  Dynamic mechanical analyzer for measuring viscoelastic properties, modulus, and damping behavior of polymers and composite materials.
• METTLER Flash DSC 1
  Ultra-fast differential scanning calorimeter for studying rapid thermal transitions, crystallization, and polymer kinetics.
• METTLER XP2U Balance with Sensitivity 0.1 ug
  Ultra-microbalance for highly precise mass measurements in analytical sample preparation and materials research.
• MICROMERITICS Gas Pycnometer model AccuPyc II 1345
  Gas displacement pycnometer for precise measurement of true density of powders, solids, and porous materials.
• NETZSCH DSC Polyma DSC 214
  Differential scanning calorimeter for analyzing thermal transitions, curing behavior, and heat capacity of polymers and composite materials.
• NETZSCH HP-DSC
  High-pressure differential scanning calorimeter for analyzing thermal transitions and reactions under elevated pressure conditions.
• NETZSCH TGA Libra with Vacuum
  Thermogravimetric analyzer for measuring mass changes due to decomposition, oxidation, and thermal stability of materials.
• NETZSCH TMA Hyperion with RH Control
  Thermomechanical analyzer for measuring dimensional changes, expansion, and mechanical response of materials under controlled humidity and temperature.
• NETZSCH UV-DSC
  UV-enabled differential scanning calorimeter for studying photo-curing kinetics and thermal behavior of UV-reactive materials.
• NETZSCH Eplexor DMA with RH control
  Dynamic mechanical analyzer for evaluating viscoelastic properties and mechanical behavior of materials under controlled humidity conditions.
• NETZSCH Neo Advanced Kinetic Software
  Data analysis software for modeling reaction kinetics, curing behavior, and thermal decomposition processes from thermal analysis data.
• NETZSCH Rheometer Kinexus Prime
  Advanced rheometer for detailed characterization of rheological and viscoelastic properties of polymers, suspensions, and resins.
• NETZSCH Thermal Diffusivity Hyper Flash LFA 467
  Laser flash analyzer for measuring thermal diffusivity and calculating thermal conductivity of solids and composite materials.
• TA Instruments Rheometer Model DHR-2
  Rotational rheometer for measuring viscosity, viscoelastic properties, and flow behavior of resins, polymers, and complex fluids.
• TA Discovery Series DSC-250
  High-performance differential scanning calorimeter featuring 64-position autosampler and patented Fusion Cell™ and T4P Tzero® technology for superior baseline flatness, sensitivity, and resolution.
• TA Discovery Series TGA-5500
  Thermal analyzer featuring an advanced IR furnace for rapid heating/cooling and a 25-position autosampler.
• X-RITE Haze Meter Ci7600
  Optical measurement system for evaluating color, haze, and transparency properties of materials and coatings.