Extensive facilities are currently available in our laboratory for the characterization of mechanical properties of traditional (e.g. metallic) and advanced (e.g. ceramic, composite, functionally graded) materials. In all situations, loading rate can be varied over a large range. An overview of the High Strain Rate Mechanics Lab is seen below:

Equipment:

Optical Imaging

	Redlake Motion Pro HS-4 CMOS high-speed digital camera: 5,000 fps; 512 x 512 pixels resolution
	Cordin Model 550/535-16 high-speed digital rotating-mirror camera: 1K x 1K pixels resolution; 2,000 fps to 1,000,000 fps
	Cordin 330A rotating-mirror film-based high speed camera: 1,000,000 fps; 1 us interframe time, 40 ns exposure time
	Cooke HSFC Pro ultra high-speed intensified digital camera: 200,000,000 fps; 5 ns interframe time, 5 ns exposure time

Loading

	Light single stage gas gun
	Tension and compression Split-Hopkinson (Kolsky) Bars Loading rates 100/s to 10,000 /s
	Instron Dynatup Minitower Drop Weight Impact Testing System; 1.1 kg – 4.2 kg; initial drop height can be adjusted up to a maximum of 445 mm
	MTS Alliance RT/30 screw-driven load frame; 6,600 lbs capacity
	Spectra Physics Nd:YAG laser; infrared pulse 8-12 ns duration at wavelength of 1064 nm Nd YAG Laser Manual

Other Diagnostics

	Michelson Interferometer with ps photodetector
	Fermionics custom-made high speed infrared detector array; 16 element 80 x 80 micron array
	Stress Photonics DeltaTherm DT1410 IR camera
	Argon Laser Argon Laser Manual