This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop an interactive materials science/engineering laboratory kit for use in basic materials courses which are a feature of all engineering programs, particularly in Civil and Mechanical engineering. The kit will include test bars fabricated from advanced polymeric composites which are an important group of new materials of increasing interest. Specifically, the kit will allow students to compare theoretical strength and actual strength of these different high technology materials, and the ready-to-use test bars will help students better understand the strength characteristics of linear elastic brittle materials such as ceramics. The educational product of this project has a broad and sustainable market particularly because the product is consumed in use and repeat sales will be a necessity.
