A little bit of history
VAST Lab
VAST is privileged to build upon the efforts of dedicated people that have come before us. The likes of Larry Mitchell, Al Wicks and Bob West made great efforts to create a fantastic laboratory that can be used for a variety of programs. We hope to honor their efforts in our work as we use these facilities.
We hope to expand on the historical content once the website is up and running full speed.
The laboratory has a few characteristics that make it very unique. This includes a high-bay ceiling which facilitates the testing of large structures. It also features a 12-foot by 12-foot isolation bed available for securing test objects and a 2-ton overhead crane. A 64-cubic feet environmental chamber is also available, allowing temperature and pressure controlled experiments.
We hope to expand on the historical content once the website is up and running full speed.
The laboratory has a few characteristics that make it very unique. This includes a high-bay ceiling which facilitates the testing of large structures. It also features a 12-foot by 12-foot isolation bed available for securing test objects and a 2-ton overhead crane. A 64-cubic feet environmental chamber is also available, allowing temperature and pressure controlled experiments.
The laboratoryAs part of the Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, the lab has a wide variety of equipment. Some of this equipment is housed in the VAST lab and some is shared among CIMSS members.
The list of equipment below is not extensive but serves to showcase some of our capabilities. |
Tenneystrat Environmental
Test Chamber
• HP 4194-A Impedance/Gain-Phase Analyzer: used to perform a wide variety of impedance and transmission measurements. This equipment has been used to study and quantify the electromechanical coupling in the actuator and sensor components of smart material systems. CIMSS also possesses an HP 4192-A impedance analyzer.
• Zonic WCA Signal Analyzer: especially useful for experimental dynamic and acoustic structural analysis (also have SigLab and several other PC-based analyzers).
• HP 3314-A Function Generator: a multi-mode, programmable function generator featuring sine, triangle, and square wave functions from 1 mHz to 20 MHz.
• Newport vibration isolation table
• Polytec PI Laser-Doppler Vibrometer and Scanner: allows mapping of modal data on surfaces of large structures. (e.g., PSV-400 with a 1 MGHz range and close up modules, OFV-500 and PDV-100 portable units)
• In addition, complete modal testing facilities are available on a variety of platforms such as LMS Scads and Siglab units.
• Several d-Space controllers and other digital control systems: allows the use of MATLAB to drive experiments for MIMO control.
• Altitude and Temperature Chamber: Model 36ST Tenneystrat Environmental Test Chamber allowing the testing of structures and control systems in a range of temperatures from -70° C to +177° C and pressures simulating altitudes of up to 100,000 ft. This system is fully instrumented and is connected to an IEEE bus for running computer-controlled experiments.
• VXI Dynamic Signal Analyzer for vibration and acoustic signal analysis.
• A 3' x 20' fume hood for materials fabrication (chemical and bio sensors).
• Zeiss fluorescent microscope and attachments (filter set, cubic filter, and molecular probe)
The lab also has a variety of smart materials, and associated hardware including PZT, PVDF, SMA, etc., dozens of computers for running test equipment, test benches, a micro pump, an actuator fabrication facility, numerous shakers, strain gauges, accelerometers, proximity probes, and access to numerous other facilities on campus.
Our lab also features a custom low speed wind tunnel
Where to find us:
We are located at:
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering (MC 0238)
133 Durham Hall
1145 Perry St.
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering (MC 0238)
133 Durham Hall
1145 Perry St.
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
By Auto:
Blacksburg is located on U.S. Route 460, just off U.S. Interstate 81 (exit 118), 40 miles west of Roanoke and approximately 50 miles east of the south exit of the West Virginia Turnpike (177).
From the 460 bypass, take the Price's Fork Road exit toward downtown. From Price's Fork Road turn right onto Stanger Street. The lab is on the first floor of Durham Hall at the corner of Stanger Street and Perry St. road on the Virginia Tech campus. We are located in 171 & 181 Durham Hall.
To park on campus you will need a visitor pass. We suggest you visit Virginia Tech parkings services website to know more about this LINK. There contact information is:
Blacksburg is located on U.S. Route 460, just off U.S. Interstate 81 (exit 118), 40 miles west of Roanoke and approximately 50 miles east of the south exit of the West Virginia Turnpike (177).
From the 460 bypass, take the Price's Fork Road exit toward downtown. From Price's Fork Road turn right onto Stanger Street. The lab is on the first floor of Durham Hall at the corner of Stanger Street and Perry St. road on the Virginia Tech campus. We are located in 171 & 181 Durham Hall.
To park on campus you will need a visitor pass. We suggest you visit Virginia Tech parkings services website to know more about this LINK. There contact information is:
455 Research Center Dr. (0540)
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0540 |
Phone: 540-231-3200
Fax: 540-231-3027 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |