Structural Engineering

Advanced Composites Manufacturing Laboratory - The advanced composites manufacturing laboratory is one of the best university facilities in the country for fabricating large lightweight high-performance advanced composite structures. The three centerpieces of the laboratory include a large (10' length by 6' diameter) TEC/Melco Autoclave, a smaller high-temperature TEC/Harris (3' length by 1.5' diameter) autoclave, and a TEC/KARD 70-ton hot press. The Melco autoclave, which is the largest autoclave at any American university, can be used for fabricating large aerospace (wing panels, satellite antennas/mirrors), mechanical (race car and sailboat components), civil (decks attachments), and biomedical structural components composed of thermoset composites. The TEC/Harris autoclave is a smaller and higher-performance autoclave that is used for both thermoset and high-temperature thermoplastic composites has been used for fabricating next generation NASA turbo-fan blades and a variety of high-performance sport structures. The TEC/KARD 70-ton Hot Press is used for manufacturing flat laminate sheets or molded advanced composite structures. A large selection of thermoset materials (i.e. graphite/epoxy, Kevlar/epoxy) is available and stored in a large 2500 ft 3 freezer. A large lay-up and vacuum-assisted compaction work area is available.