The Centre de Ressources de Caractérisation Mécanique (Mechanical Characterisation Resource Centre) takes interest in the most various materials: solid-state polymers, organic matrix composites and metals. These caracterisations sweep a large scope of solicitations: static and dynamic stresses, fatigue, multi-axial loads, under ambient atmosphere or temperature and gas controlled. Within the laboratory, the Centre de Ressources ensures that permanent staff, PhD students and master's students know the different approaches and how to use them.

Main materials and applications:

• Alternating fatigue test benches for polymers and composite: 7 alternating fatigue installations (up to 10Hz frequency); these installations all possess 3 climatic chambers (temperature and humidity).
• High frequency fatigue test benches: piezoelectric machine with a 20kHz sollicitation frequency. Traction-compression solicitation (R=-1). Possibility of imposing a constant effort component.
• Dynamic punching bench: possibility to shear (open cut) or to punch (closed cut); punch speed between 4m/s and 25m/s; slack between slack and punch: 0.04mm or 0.1mm; measurement of the force and speed of the punch during cutting.
• Quasistatic tensile tests:
  • Electromechanical tension-compression Instron 4301, 4502, 5881, force cell range between 100N and 50kN. Machines equipped with thermal chambers and with mechanical and optical extensometre.
  • Electromachanical tension-compression Gtest (10kN) equipped with Videotraction® and accessory for bi-axial solicitations.
  • Hydraulic tension-compression MTS850 (10kN), MTS 810 (100kN).
  • Tensile micro stage, enabling to follow the test coupled with an optical system, up to 10N max, speed from 1 μm/min to 20 mm/min and sample thickness from 5 to 200 μm.
• Dynamic tensile tests: The type of machine is TGV (Traction à Grande Vitesse - High Speed Traction) from Schenk Hydropuls VHS 5020. Its maximum applied force capacity is 50kN, with a range of solicitation up to 20m/s; image acquisition through a fast camera (FASTCAM-APX RS High-Speed Video Camera).
• Dynamic compression tests: the device is made of Hopkinson bars. The geometry of the specimens is cylindrical (height and diametre between 5mm and 8mm). Deformation rates can reach more than 5000s^-1.
• Ultrasonic tests: Rigidity tensor determination bench under biaxial tensile loading; ultrasonic goniometric bench for determination of elastic modulus, Poisson's coefficient, main axis search in the case of transverse orthotropic materials and defect search.

Some of these devices are set in rooms with controlled temperature and humidity.