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Facilities and Labs

In addition to the facilities featured below, the engineering department contains over 2,000 square feet of combined laboratory space for faculty-student collaborative research.

Engineering Design Lab

This laboratory is a dedicated space for senior engineering students to conduct their capstone, year-long design projects culminating in fabrication of working prototypes.

Equipment and Features

• Workstations and storage for 14 design teams
• Stratsys Dimension 1200es 3D printer
• Tourchmate 4x4 plasma cutter
• Dedicated space, tools and workbenches for light fabrication and welding
• Student meeting and conference area
• 3-foot chemical hood

Materials Preparation and Testing Lab

 

This laboratory is used for preparing and mechanically testing a variety of material samples, from three-point bending of concrete beams to tensile testing of carbon fiber composites.

Equipment and Features

• 1 Instron 33R 4240 screw-type universal testing system
• 1 Instron 1331 hydrolic dynamic testing system
• 2 Mark V Lab grinder/polisher machines for preparing metallurgical samples
• 2 Thermolyne benchtop muffle furnaces
• 2 Mark V Lab inverted confocal microscopes
• 2 Rockwell hardness testers
• Strong floor with anchor points supporting up to 50,000 lbs for testing substantial civil structures
• Dedicated concrete preparation area with dust remediation systems
• A variety of benchtop equipment for small scale beam flexure tests, strain gage installation and fiber reinforced composites fabrication

Electrical Engineering Lab

This laboratory is used for teaching topics in electrical engineering from basic circuit design to microcontroller electronics.

Equipment and Features

• 10 student workstations
• A digital oscilloscope
• A function generator
• A desktop multimeter
• Multiple power supplies

Engineering Computing Lab

This lab features 35 computer work stations for computer aided design, engineering and numerical simulation, and technical report preparation.

Selected Software

• SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo for computer-aided design
• MATLAB, Simulink and Maple for technical computing
• ANSYS  and LS-DYNA for finite element analysis
• CHEMCAD for chemical process simulation
• OrCAD PSpice for circuit design and analysis
• Origin for data analysis and presentation

Introduction to Engineering Lab

This spacious lab features room for 20 students to perform a variety of engineering investigations such as dismantling automobile engines, programming microcontrollers and making ethanol from field corn.

The room is primarily used for Introduction to Engineering Laboratory and the general education course, Science and Technology for Everyday Life. The room is also a central space for evening study sessions.

Features

• MakerBot Replicator 3D printer
• MakerBot Digitizer available for use by all engineering students
• Three 60-inch flat screen monitors
• A reconfigurable layout for maximum instructional flexibility

Engineering Science and Systems Lab

This reconfigurable lab space features room for up to 18 students and is used primarily for instructional lab courses in dynamics systems and controls, bioinstrumentation and mechanics of materials.

A range of experiments and benchtop equipment are used in this space.

Dynamic Systems and Controls Equipment

• Programmable Logic Control training system
• Rotary servo plant with an encoder
• Several rectilinear dynamic plants
• Industrial plant emulator
• Control moment gyroscope

Bioinstrumentation Equipment

• Force plates for measuring jumping and pushing forces
• Hand dynamometers for measuring grip strength
• Goniometers for measuring knee and elbow joint angles
• Biopotential sensors for measuring muscle contractions, electrocardiograms and eye movement
• 3-axis accelerometer for measuring body segment motion
• Spirometer
• Oxygen gas sensor for measuring air flow, lung volume and oxygen concentration

Machine Shop

The machine shop is equipped with two Bridgeport Standard mills, a lathe and several other pieces of equipment useful for basic metal working and component fabrication. Students who wish to gain the skill necessary to turn their designs into working prototypes have the opportunity to be trained by an experienced on-staff machinist.

Formula SAE Garage

The formula SAE garage is located on the north side of tenth street directly across from VanderWerf Hall. The garage is a dedicated space for members of the to fabricate and maintain their car. This space is well stocked with an assortment of hand tools and other equipment such as TIG and MIG welders.