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Ultrasonic Materials CharacterizationThis laboratory is used for characterizing materials including metals, concrete, piezoelectrics, and ceramics. Of particular interest are diffuse ultrasonic methods for studying heterogeneous materials. Equipment in this laboratory includes two 200 MHz digital oscilloscopes, an ultrasonic pulser receiver, a 15 MHz arbitrary waveform generator, a large water tank with three-dimensional scanning control for ultrasonic measurements, preamplifiers, a large optical table with laser interferometer equipment (shown), and a variety of ultrasonic transducers (longitudinal and shear) covering frequencies from 500 kHz to 20 MHz. Computers with GPIB boards and Labview software are used for control of experiments and data acquisition. |
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Dynamics and VibrationsThe work carried out in this lab focuses on characterizing the underlying dynamic behavior of structures and structural members. The results are used to complement continuing theoretical work. One particular experiment, shown below, is a vibrating beam with a contact boundary condition. The beam is excited using a shaker, power amplifier, and a waveform generator. The response is measured using an accelerometer, a power supply, and a signal analyzer. Computers with GPIB boards are used for control of the experiment and data analysis. In addition, this laboratory contains a Spectraquest machinery fault simulator is used to investigate nonlinear vibrations associated with machinery defects. |
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Atomic Force MicroscopyThe atomic force microscope (AFM) in this laboratory is a Thermomicroscopes Autoprobe CP Research AFM. The open architecture of this AFM allows easy access to the cantilever. This AFM has been modified to allow for various dynamic modes of operation to be investigated. The linear and nonlinear vibrations of AFM cantilevers in contact with a specimen surface are exploited for the measurement of material properties with nanoscale resolution. An external function generator, a 200 MHz lock-in amplifier, a 200 MHz digital oscilloscope, and ultrasonic transducers are used in conjunction with the AFM. |
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