The Mechanical Properties Characterization Facility (MPCF) is the Institute for Matter and Systems  core facility that supports education and research programs related to process-structure-property relations in structural materials. Its principal activities are directed towards the measurement and modeling of the mechanical properties of engineering materials, primarily related to deformation, fatigue and fracture. 

The MPCF has expertise to conduct various mechanical test experiments on structural materials in different environments and at temperatures from sub-zero to 1650°C.  For use of core shared-user equipment, please contact the  MPCF Core Lead  for advice (if needed) and submit a Test Proposal. For specialized mechanical property testing (e.g., much lower or higher loading capacity, much higher strain rates) and material characterization facilities, please see our Partner Facilities

Research Thrusts 

MPCF faculty are involved in a wide range of research activities. Principal research thrusts include: 

  1. Fatigue and fracture studies of structural materials in extreme environments including high temperature applications (e.g., jet engines and power plants) and medical devices. 
  2. Development of fatigue, fracture and life prediction methodologies for application to components in the aerospace, power systems, microelectronics, ground vehicles, and medical devices. 
  3. Development of constitutive equations for deformation and damage of structural metals, advanced alloys, metal foams, and composite materials, employing multiscale modeling at the interface of materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and engineering mechanics. 
  4. Experimental strategies to support Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI)