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ME 251 Laboratory | Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

ME 251 Materials Engineering Laboratory

Purpose of Laboratory

This laboratory deals with an introductory course in materials engineering. In addition to demonstrating behavior of engineering materials and properties, this course is used to introduce students to a laboratory environment and familiarize them with formal engineering.

Equipment

The experiments and measurements in this laboratory are performed in two different areas: materials preparation and mechanical testing. Demonstrations are given in the Advanced Materials Laboratory. These laboratories are listed below, along with the basic items and equipment in each of them:

Materials Preparation Laboratory (WH 223)
  • Diamond Saw
  • Cut-Off Machines
  • Stirrer/Hot Plates
  • Grinder and Polishers
  • Furnaces
  • Metallurgical Microscopes
  • Lab Ovens
  • Ultrasonic Cleaners
  • Digital Thermometers
  • Cameras
  • Inverted Optical Microscopes (for various uses, e.g., grain size and measurements)
  • Balances
Mechanical Testing Laboratory (WH 117)
  • Equipment for tension testing of metals and composites
  • Equipment to measure fatigue strength of smooth and notched specimens
  • Equipment that heat treats metals and analyzes the effect of heat on hardness and impact testing
  • Equipment that measures room temperature creep
  • Equipment that measures the ductile brittle transition temperature of ferrous alloys
  • Equipment that provides polishing and a micro hardness test
  • Cold Rolling Mill
Advanced Materials Laboratory (WH 223)

This laboratory facilitates some of the advance equipment used to support materials science experiments and capstone design projects:

  • X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
  • Chemical Etching
  • Four-Point Conductivity Measurement
  • UV Spectroscopy
  • Basic Microwave Optics System


In addition to these laboratories, a nanotechnology laboratory is being established in the CoE Engineering Research Laboratory Building, which will house some of the equipment to be used for materials science. This equipment, belonging to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will be utilized to fabricate and characterize nanoparticles, nanowires, nanofilms, nanocomposites, etc.

  • Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
  • AC and DC Power Supplies
  • Capacitance Measurement Device
  • High-Speed Centrifuge
  • Hotplates/Stirrers
  • Sonicators
  • Spin Coater
  • ESA Coating Unit
  • Optical Microscopes
  • UV Photolithography
  • Plasma Cleaner and Sensitizer
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