Composites Manufacture
Our laboratories are equipped with a range of manufacturing and test equipment:
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business has a
Formech 686 vacuum forming machine.
Polymer recycling
Mechanical testing
We can test materials and components on a range of accredited laboratory machines.
Test programmes can be either quick stand-alone evaluations, composites 'forensic' work, or form part of a wider programme of work involving design or optimisation.
Our Structural Integrity Laboratory has a range of machines for tension/compression, torsion, fatigue and creep including:
- Avery/Instron 1000 kN universal testing rig*
- Instron 5582 screw-driven 100 kN universal test machine
- Instron 3345 screw-driven 5 kN universal test machine
- Instron ElectroPuls 3000 3 kN dynamic electromagnetic fatigue machine
- Instron MDS 666C high temperature chamber
- Instron high temperature 4-point bend rig
- Dantec Q-400 digital image correlation system
* The Avery/Instron 1000 kN universal (tension/compression/bending) testing machine has ~1.1 m daylight and 120 mm long wedge-action grips (for round bars up to 25 mm diameter, or 100x18 mm plate) for tension specimens; bending beam test spans can be up to 4.5m (load restricted to 500 kN at full span).