The Turbomachinery Laboratory and Texas A&M University have a wide variety of standard and non-standard experimental equipment available to its researchers. The list and descriptions given herein only constitutes a fraction of what is available to our research group, but provides an overview of some of the more commonly used equipment.
- High-powered CO2 (100 W) laser for ignition studies
- Advanced Microscopic Imaging and Elemental Characterization Capabilities
- Optical light microscopes
- Scanning electron microscopes (SEM)
- Resolution down to 100 nm
- Back scatter detectors
- Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
- In-situ tensile testing
- Transmission electron microscopes (TEM)
- Resolution down to 0.1 nm
- Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
- Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)
- X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
- High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
- Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
- Thermal Decomposition Experiments
- Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic thermal analysis (DTA)
- Simultaneous TGA/DTA testing
- Static or flowing and inert or reactive atmospheres
- Variable heating rates (0.1-100 K/s)
- Wide temperature range (-180-1500 °C)
- Coupled Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography (GC), or mass spectroscopy (MS)
- Flash dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) (< 30,000 K/s)
- Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic thermal analysis (DTA)
- Additive Particle Characterization and Sizing
- Microscopes with EDS capability (see above)
- Laser particle size analyzer (10 nm – 3,500 μm)
- Nano diffraction particle size analyzer (0.3 nm – 10 μm, in solution)
- Rheological Property Analyses
- Viscometers and rheometers
- Variable configurations (cone-and-plate, concentric cylinders, parallel plates)
- Wide temperature range (-150-1000 °C)
- Surface tension apparatus
- Wide temperature range (20-350 °C)
- Viscometers and rheometers
- Thermal Property Analyses
- Hot disc thermal analyzer
- Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat capacity
- Wide temperature range (20-1000 °C)
- Bulk and directional properties
- Thermal mechanical analysis
- Thermal expansion coefficient, temperature-dependent mechanical properties, phase transition temperatures, and creep/relaxation behavior
- Wide temperature range (-190-1000 °C)
- Dynamic or static loading (1 mN – 2 N)
- Hot disc thermal analyzer