Processing and test facilities
Listed on this page you can view most of the types of equipment and techniques we have available within the department.
If you are interested in using these facilities or discussing a project that requires any of these techniques then, in the first instance, please contact:
Scott Doak
Director of LMCC
Telephone: +44(0)1509 223314
Email: s.s.doak@lboro.ac.uk
Physical Property measurement
- Tensile, flexural and compression testing
- Instrumented pendulum and drop weight impact testing
- Electrical properties
- Fatigue testing
- Cyclic crack growth machine
Metals Research Techniques and Facilities
Microstructural Modelling
- Advanced testing equipment for mechanical properties
- Field emission gun transmission electron microscope
- Field emission gun scanning electron microscope
- Transmission electron microscopes
- Scanning electron microscope
- Optical microscopy
- Heat treatment
- X-ray diffraction
- Modelling
Surface Engineering
- Electroplating and anodising
- Corrosion testing
- Computer-controlled pulse plating
- Rotating disc and cylinder electrode rigs
- High current potentiostats
- DC electrochemical corrosion testing
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
- Neutral salt spray corrosion testing cabinet
Ceramics Research Techniques and Facilities
- Particle size analysis & simultaneous zeta potential measurement
- Surface area analysis
- Rheological characterisation of suspensions
- Semi automatic screen printing (donated by Rolls Royce Fuel Cell Systems)
- Spray freeze drying of powders
- Milling and mixing of powders
- Die pressing • Isostatic pressing • Gel casting
- In-situ coagulation moulding
- Freeze casting
- Dip coating
- Range of high and low temperature conventional sintering furnaces including:
- 6 kW, 2.45 GHz, multimode controlled atmosphere furnace
- 2 kW, 2.45 GHz, multimode hybrid (conventional/microwave) furnace
- 1 kW, 2.45 GHz, high temperature single mode applicator
Polymer Research Techniques and Facilities
Processing and Pilot Plant for plastics, elastomers, and thermosets
- Injection moulding
- Compression moulding
- Thermoforming
- Pipe and Sheet Extrusion
- PVC Profile Extruder
- Blow moulding
- Dry blender
- Two roll mills
- Internal mixer
- Twin screw compounder
Processing Properties and Rheology Measurement
- Elongational rheometer
- Melt flow indexer
- Capillary rheometer
- Biaxial stretching equipment
- Rotational rheometer
- Monsanto Cure Meter
- Mooney Viscometer
Polymer Characterisation
- Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
- Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
- Simultaneous thermal analysis (STA)
- Thermomechanical analysis (TMA)
- Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)
- Thin film analysis (TFA)
- Micro-thermal analysis (µTA)
- Evolved gas analysis (EGA)
- Infra-red spectrometry
- Scanning probe techniques
- Optical microscopy
- Electron microscopy (TEM/SEM/VP)
- X-rays (WAXS, SAXS, texture, stress)
- Surface analysis (Auger, SIMS, XPS, LIMA, contact angle, GDMS)
- IR and UV spectrophotometry, GPC