To expand the structural and material testing facilities at the undergraduate level, the Mechanics of Materials Laboratory at Arizona State University has developed a low cost retrofit system for closed loop testing of materials. The project involves upgrading several screw-driven universal testing machines by means of digitally controlled geared servomotors. The motion of servomotor is monitored using an optical encoder that is connected to a computerized motion control and data acquisition software.
Computer software is developed to control the response of the system.
The test system is directly linked to the campus computer network, providing the undergraduate students with the digitized raw data when a mechanical test is conducted. Digital data processing techniques are also included as a part of the curriculum to add flexibility in interpretation and manipulation of experimental data. This enables an efficient and accessible presentation method to undergraduate students. Modular components of the system are developed using object oriented programming tools. Load, displacement, and strain controlled tests are developed.