Jonathan Huddleston

jon.huddleston@mtsu.edu

Tom Nicholas

School of Concrete and Construction Management

Discipline specific equipment

SCCM 124

N/A

N/A

The School of Concrete and Construction Management (SCCM) is seeking funding for a Universal Testing Machine (UTM). This machine would allow us to expand current laboratory experiential learning capabilities. SCCM can currently evaluate materials in compression but lack the ability to measure velocity and strain of concrete, steel, wood, and polymers which is just as critical in the fields of construction and engineering. The UTM would allow SCCM to expand its offerings to students and convert our theoretical instruction in our materials class that all 504 students (per Fall 2024 census) in the School of Concrete and Construction Management must complete. In addition to serving SCCM, the UTM will be available to the more than 5,000 students and faculty in departments from Aerospace to Chemistry as well as others in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. The Chemistry Department currently houses a small UTM with a 20 kN capacity. This larger UTM with a capacity of 5.3 kN to 534 kN would expand the university’s abilities and serve more of our STEM fields. The LT-120 Series Universal Testing Machines are specifically designed for evaluating a variety of materials in tension, compression and Universal Testing Machines measure force, displacement, velocity, and strain. UTMs play critical roles in various industries including aerospace, automotive, construction, and materials science, enabling engineers and researchers to accurately assess the mechanical properties of materials for design, quality control, and research purposes.