Smart Structures and Vibration Testing Facility

The facility includes sufficient equipment for testing and characterizing active and sensory materials and adaptive structural components. It can also perform complete dynamic characterization of passive materials and components. The equipment and capabilities of the facility include:

• Sensory voltage, dynamic acceleration, force, strain and temperature measurement
• Various 8- and 4-channel high-speed dynamic data acquisition & spectral analyzer systems
• Real-time data acquisition and active controller implementation
• Various types of excitations
  • Impact force excitation through a range of impact hammers (miniature to heavy)
  • Continuous force excitation (6lb and 50lb electromagnetic shakers)
  • Piezoelectric actuator strain
• Experimental Modal Analysis
  • Modal frequency
  • Modal damping
  • Mode shapes
• Dynamic excitation of piezoceramic actuators
  • High-voltage (±700 Volts)
  • Broadband excitation (0-150 kHz)

Applied Mechanics Laboratory

There is also access to the Applied Mechanics Lab equipment, which includes:

• Dynamic and Thermal Analysis Equipment (DMA, TMA, DSC)
• Universal Testing Rings

Computational Capabilities

• Sun Enterprise 220R Server
• Intel Workstations