Application Of Labview For Undergraduate Lab Experiments On Materials Testing

This paper describes the implementation of LabVIEW, in a torsion experiment in the Mechanics Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of New Haven, to allow the acquisition of real time data for display, analysis, control and storage. The input moment and the angle of twist are measured directly from torsion transducers. The real-time measurements and display acquired waveforms are displayed on a PC screen and the data associated with these waveforms are stored for later use. The aim is to be able to control and apply moment to a specimen, and collect data from the resulting deformation in the material. In the torsion test, the mechanical properties of the materials to a twisting moment are obtained by two transducers mounted on the bottom of the grips of the torsion machine. The torque and angle of twist are then acquired using LabVIEW software to obtain the yield shear stress, modulus of rigidity and the ultimate strength. The data acquisition system is provided using the following products from National Instruments: application programming interface; and LabVIEW, software development package. The Excel spreadsheet is used to analyze the results. This work demonstrates that instrumentation experience is greatly enhanced by integration LabVIEW into the Laboratory. The incorporation of computer data acquisitions into the undergraduate laboratory provides students with a valuable tool for data collection and analysis.