Welcome to the Materials Development & Testing Lab

We are dedicated to supporting the Fermi National Accelerator Lab in the development and testing of new and existing materials used at the Lab.  We currently have the ability to do various wet chemistries, including buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and electropolishing (EP) of niobium on a bench-top scale.  Donna Hicks is responsible for the wet chemistry done in the lab, including the handling of hydrofluoric acid.  We can do tensile, flexural modulus, viscosity, hardness, and notched Izod testing.  We have several powerful light microscopes and a JEOL scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) capability.

There are many different kinds of jobs that have been done and that are currently being worked on.  One example of a job that is currently being done is examining the distribution of elements in RRP strands (by EDS) that have been made into super conducting cable.  The fear is that the superconducting Nb₃Sn is migrating into the bulk copper which would cause the cable to quench.  Another job that is commonly done, is the measuring of the viscosity and tensile strength of various epoxy formulations for potting magnets.  The processing of niobium is one of the labs primary concerns.  The effects of changing various heating, EP, and BCP process parameters on surface composition and roughness is also being examined on a microscopic scale.

         In addition to the synthesis and characterization of materials the MDTL has extensive wood working and metal working equipment. Dave Burk is well known for his ability to make various models, tables, displays, and forms.