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Current students

Mechanical test lab

The Mechanical Test Lab has facilities for quasi-static load testing, cyclic fatigue testing, and a drop tower for impact testing. Also available are a variety of extensometers, load cells, and grips.

Shop access

All users must create a UW CORAL account.
 

Once I create a CORAL account, what else do I need to do before using the shops?

  1. Register for Mechanical Test Lab access.
  2. Attend an in-person training session for EACH shop (machine shop, composite shop,
    mechanical test lab) you plan to use. Contact the Mechanical Test Lab manager for
    individual Test Lab training.
  3. Complete the Mechanical Test Lab quiz after attending the in-person training.

Hours

Shop availability varies depending on scheduled lab classes and safety classes.

Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Equipment

Vishay System 5000

The ME Department has two cart-mounted, PC based systems with signal conditioning and data acquisition for:

  • Strain gauges
  • Thermocouples
  • +/-10Vdc analog inputs

Each System 5000 chassis accepts 4 x 5-channel input cards for a total of 20 channels per chassis. Windows based software (Strain Smart) allows for easy, wizard-driven setup of test projects. Data can be exported in .xls format.