Director, GALCIT Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories California Institute of Technology Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering

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[click on an area for more info] Microdevice Reliability Facility Dynamic Constitutive Testing Lab Plate Impact Facility Static Materials Testing Facility Dynamic Materials Testing Facility High-Speed Imaging Facility High-Speed IR Visualization Lab Joint GALCIT/JPL Venture: Small Particle Hypervelocity Impact Facility (SPHIF) [Descriptions of all with photos (pdf 1.8MB)] Microdevice Reliability Facility This facility has been designed for measuring stress and failure evolution in thin films and thin film structures deposited on wafer substrates. Problems involving the processing and operation of thin-film structures in microelectronic and optoelectronic applications are of interest. Coherent gradient sensing (CGS) shearing interferometry is used for measuring curvature and inferring stresses in these structures. The facility is in a Class 1 cleanroom and is capable of measuring patterned wafers up to 300mm in diameter. ^ Dynamic Constitutive Testing Lab Split Hopkinson bars are available for constitutive testing at comparatively high loading rates (strain rates up to 104). Distinct systems exist for compression, tension and torsion testing. High-speed digital oscilloscopes have been acquired to facilitate data acquisition. ^ Plate Impact Facility The plate impact facility features a propellant gun for studies involving high speed impact and penetration. The system features a dedication VISAR for measurement of target velocity at the back surface and has been used in conjunction with other high-speed optical and infrared diagnostics. ^ Static Materials Testing Facility Two MTS axial-torsional load frames are available for testing at comparatively low loading rates. The system has been upgraded to include a state-of-the-art TestStar controller. ^ Dynamic Materials Testing Facility A variety of loading devices are available to facilitate study of material behavior over a wide range of impact conditions. ^ High-Speed Imaging Facility High-speed imaging systems are available for the real-time visualization of dynamic deformation and failure. With a laser illumination source, optical interferometry is typically employed to provide quantitative information regarding the evolution of deformation and failure on a microsecond time scale. ^ High-Speed IR Visualization Lab High-speed IR detector systems are used for the determination of transient temperature response of materials subjected to dynamic loading. ^ Joint GALCIT/JPL Venture: Small Particle Hypervelocity Impact Facility (SPHIF) In a joint effort, the Graduate Aeronautical Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are putting together this new test facility. It will be located in the Firestone Building at GALCIT. In this facility, small silicate particles simulating micro meteors will be launched in vacuum at velocities up to 9 km/s. High-speed optical and IR diagnostics will be used to investigate the basic mechanics of hypervelocity impact and to guide the design of shielding of JPL spacecraft. ^