Project Objective
The objective of the project is to build a material testing device (MTD) capable of performing a 3-point bending test, hardness test, and surface wear test on 3D-printed test specimens at elevated temperatures.
Team
- Christopher Mullens
- Ramsey Sahli
- Jeremy Tompkins
- Whitney Hale
- Brian Opp
- Trey Webb
Customer/Market Requirements
- The MTD's enclosure must house each testing device simultaneously such that each test can be conducted with one heating cycle.
- The tests must be conducted on the material samples with the aid of an actuator applying a direct sustained weighted load to all of the tests.
- The MTD must be easily movable by two people and operate on standard wall power.
- The MTD must be capable of sustaining temperatures up to 450F and be able to reach the set temperature within 60 minutes.
Design Challenges
The primary challenge presented by the project is operating the tests at elevated temperatures with the potential to damage electrical components. In most testing apparatuses such components play key roles in the design. While keeping in mind the elevated temperatures and the implications for electrical components, the team has opted to simplify many of the mechanisms necessary to perform the material tests without compromising the integrity of the testing results.
At this point in the design process the team faces the challenge of controlling the precision and accuracy of the tests while trying to reduce the hardware necessary to run such tests.
Outcomes
The design team has developed a conceptual design that includes all three material testing sub-devices inside the heated enclosure, but removed any heat sensitive components from the interior. The team has instead opted to place fragile components outside the enclosure and have developed ways to transmit necessary information to these components in their new locations. For example, the motor for the wear test has been mounted to the outside of the lab oven while still providing necessary mechanical power to the test inside the enclosure.
The following image shows the current working model of the material testing device with all subsystems in place within the enclosure.
