Solid Mechanics Lab (P118)

Students taking the Solid Mechanics courses use the equipment in this lab to complete nine experiments throughout the semester. The equipment augments instruction intended to determine axial loads, torsion (twisting), bending, combined loading, and deflections in materials such as steel and aluminum. Four stations are available for experiments. In one experiment, for example, students design, construct, and test a custom load cell by applying strain gauges. In three of the experiments, students utilize LabVIEW software to acquire and evaluate data from strain gauges. The experiments completed in this lab allow students to visualize and apply their textbook learning.

Equipment

• Soldering irons
• Measuring equipment: caliper, ruler, electronic protractor, electronic level, dial indicator, pressure gauge, strain gauges
• Custom built test fixtures: torsional loading, lateral loading, pressure vessel, combined loading, beam deflection
• Dead weights
• Laptop computers with LabVIEW software