Equipment and Services | Ballistic & Mechanical Test Lab | UNB

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Ballistics and Mechanical Test Lab

Equipment and testing capabilities

The Ballistic and Mechanical Testing Lab is currently offline while we move locations. We anticipate the move to be completed later this year. Please check back or contact us for more information.

Subsonic testing

  • Tests of less than 1 m/s to over 300 m/s.
  • One of the largest Foreign Object Damage (FOD) guns in the world (250mm bore).
  • Hail Gun (at temperatures down to -35⁰C)
  • Drop tower
  • Extremely high levels of accuracy
  • Sample applications:
    • Bird strikes
    • Hail impact
    • Runway debris
    • Blade out
    • Hurricane/Tornado debris
    • Shock testing

Supersonic testing

  • Single Stage Light Gas Guns at speeds typically under 2 km/s (100mm and 25mm bores)
  • Sample applications:
    • Armour testing
    • STANAG testing – Fragment Simulating Projectile (FSP) & Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP)
    • Ballistic limit (V-50)
    • Material characterization
    • Shock Testing

Hypervelocity testing

  • Two-stage Light Gas Guns (25mm and 10mm bores for speeds up to 8 km/s)
  • Sample applications:
    • Space armour
    • Military armour
    • Shock physics
    • Material characterization

Environmental and mechanical testing

  • Various equipment for environmental testing (RTCA DO-160 and MIL-STD-810G)
  • Fire/flammability testing
  • Functional testing
  • Quasi-static material characterization
  • High strain rate material characterization

Launchers

  • Two-stage light gas guns - the only two in Canada.
    • 25mm and 10mm bores
    • Speeds up to 8 km/s
  • Single-stage light gas guns
    • 100mm and 25mm bores
    • Speeds over 2 km/s
  • Foreign Object Damage (FOD) gun - one of the largest in the world
    • 250mm bore
    • Speeds over 300 m/s
  • Hail Gun
    • Various bores
    • Speeds over 300 m/s
    • Temperatures down to -35⁰C
  • Compressed Air Cannon
    • Various bores
    • Speeds over 200 m/s
  • Drop Towers
    • Gravity-accelerated impacts from varying heights up to four metres, and with masses of up to 2,000 kg.

Measurements and diagnostics

  • 3 High Speed video cameras
    • 12,500 frames per second at 1024 x 1024 resolution
    • Over 1 million frames per second at reduced resolution
  • Framing Camera
    • Up to 1 billion frames per second (nanosecond interframe time)
    • Captures 16 frames per launch or impact
  • Digital Image Correlation (3D optical measurements)
    • Measure shapes, strains, deformations, velocities, and accelerations over an entire surface

Complimentary facilities at UNB

  • Universal testing machines
    • Multiple universal testing machines for application of compression forces up to 4448 kN and tension forces up to 945 kN
  • Strong Floor Structures Lab
    • Testing of large components under various force or displacement-based scenarios
  • Microscopy and microanalysis
    • A range of microscopy and spectroscopy instruments allowing for microanalysis of material composition
  • Machining and manufacturing
    • CNC machining, welding, 3D printing of metals and polymers, and other material, component, and system manufacturing facilities.