The requested equipment consists of a specially-designed, double-action, hydraulically-actuated machine that is suitable for a variety of mechanical tests related to material forming operations. The precise position sensors and special computer control technology can produce a variety of operating schedules, thereby allowing the Hydraulic Forming Simulator to emulate many kinds of standard testing machines, industrial presses, and other mechanical devices while precisely controlling and recording loads, rates, and positions. The Hydraulic Forming Simulator will be used by researchers involved in sheet forming, forging, polymer and composite forming, and material testing. Its flexible design insures that it can serve for many years as a state-of-the-art mechanical testing platform for forming research.
