Structures Labs
Structural Dynamics and Adaptive Structures Lab
This laboratory is the largest of the Penn State Center for Acoustics and Vibration’s facilities, measuring nearly 1000 square feet. The laboratory is used primarily for experiments and houses a wide variety of equipment, including a small machine shop and electronics shop.
The laboratory provides an extensive array of transducers, power supplies, signal conditioners, data acquisition equipment (including conventional spectrum analyzers and several multi-channel Fast Fourier Transform analyzers), an SMS modal analysis system that interacts with these analyzers, several PCs, and a wide range of modern instrumentation such as accelerometers, micro-phones, sound pressure level meters, shakers, and impact testing kits. An LCR meter is available for measuring the electrical impedance of piezo-structures over a broad range of frequencies.
The laboratory also contains a large vibration testing pad and an overhead crane for moving large pieces of equipment. In addition, there is a full range of computer technology available, including laser printers, color printers and scanners, and digital cameras. There is access to the University computer network and the internet access grid.
Key Faculty:: George Lesieutre
Nano-/Micro-engineered Materials Lab
Research in the Nano-/micro-engineered Materials Lab focuses on experimental studies on carbon nanotubes, polymer nano-composites, and nano-porous ceramics. The lab’s primary goals are to obtain knowledge on multi-scale structure-property relationship and to establish scalable manufacturing technologies.
Within the lab, researchers synthesize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and process them so the CNTs can be dispersed and magnetically assembled in a polymer matrix to form CNT-polymer nanocomposites. Researchers also study how micro-structures influence interlaminar strength of the nanocomposites, while evaluating the scalability of magnetic assembly. Similar studies are done on nano-porous ceramics and their fracture toughness.
Key Faculty: Namiko Yamamoto
Facilities and Labs
- Adverse Environment Rotor Test Stand
- Aeroacoustics Facilities
- Air Vehicle Intelligence and Autonomy Lab
- Control and Analysis of Stochastic Systems Lab
- High-performance Computing Cluster Facility
- Indoor Flight Research Lab
- Robot Ethics and Aerial Vehicles Lab
- Rotorcraft Flight Simulator Facilities
- Sailplane Lab
- Space Propulsion Lab
- Structures Labs
- Student Space Programs Lab
- Turbomachinery Aero-Heat Transfer Lab
- Water Channel/Water Tunnel
- Wind Tunnels
- Wind Turbine Field Test Facility