ITW Structural and Strength of Materials Teaching Laboratory

1. ITW Structural and Strength of Materials Teaching Laboratory Civil & Materials Engineering UIC November 2009

2. Laboratory Needs • Introductory Strength of Materials, Properties of Materials, and Structural Analysis Courses are presently offered without laboratory exercises • These courses are taken by over 600 students per year • Space is available for the laboratory, and a new faculty member qualified to supervise the labs will join UIC in Spring 2010

3. I – Universal Testing System for Materials Basic Concepts - Metallic, Cementitious and Composite materials Important in all basic materials and structures courses Testing System Requirements for Basic Concepts Universal Testing Machine • Capability for tension , and compressions tests with load capacities of up to 300 to 500 Kips to accommodate compression testing of concrete cylinders • Tensile grips and compressions platens for testing of metallic and cementitious materials • Stiff frame for control and accurate measurement of displacements • Fixtures for shear tests either direct or torsion • Flexure test grips fixtures • Environmental test chamber for simultaneous mechanical and thermal loading of specimens • High capacity silent flow pump for static and fatigue testing of specimens (25 gpm or higher) • Software for control of test parameters • Photo of a typical system (from Instron’s web site)

4. II – Testing of Materials under High Rates of Loading – Impact Tests • Testing System Requirements for Impact Tests Drop Weight Impact Testing System • High impact energies (20,000 joules or higher) for testing of a variety of materials including concrete, steel, and fiber reinforced polymer composites • High impact velocities , i.e. 15-20 ft/s • Support fixtures for mounting and fixing the specimens • Test control software Typical drop weight system from Instron’s website

5. III – Vibration and Seismic Loading – Basic Concepts • Understand durability of materials under repeated use. • Simulate actual seismic loads on structures • Evaluate Modal Characteristics of structures and machines prior and after damage or repeated use • System requirements for Vibration Tests – Shaking Tables Multi-axis Shaking Table Test System • Capability for 2 or more degrees of freedom vibration tests • Capability for application of a wide spectrum of frequencies 0.1 – 100 Hz. With corresponding displacement strokes. • Capability for accepting mid-size structural components, i.e., a concrete column, or a small-scale building frame model • Software for load – displacement input control and acquisition and processing of data

6. IV – Column and Cable Tests Understanding basic concepts in structural stability of compression members, i.e. columns Understanding the basic concepts in the behavior of cables under fatigue and direct tension load regimes System Requirements for Cable/Column Test System • Long stroke range test frames for tension testing of cables in cabled structures • Compression tests for columns • 3 – 4 meter specimen length capability • Horizontal design to accommodate laboratory height restrictions and long specimen loading • Control and data acquisition software • Capability for fatigue loading

7. EQUIPMENT NEEDS SUMMARY I – Testing System for Basic Concepts II – Testing System for Impact Tests III – System for Vibration Tests – Shaking Tables IV- System for Cable/Column Test System V – Related Pumps and load grip assemblies

8. 397 Senior Design Courses • Capstone Engineering Design course required in every Engineering Program • Senior level students work in teams to address significant engineering problems • Problems selected by students and faculty with input from appropriate engineering practitioners • Results presented to public at Engineering Expo – April of each year

9. Civil Engineering Students present their Senior Design project for a Pedestrian Bridge over Halsted Street 4/21/2009