Heavy Structures and Geotechnics Laboratory

Hands-on experience of structural testing

 
The Heavy Structures Laboratory provides engineering students with a hands-on experience of the structural testing of large engineering components, fabricated from a range of engineering materials.
Equipped with both universal test machines and configurable reaction frames, students can evaluate the behavioural response of a diverse range of engineering components to externally applied static and dynamic loads.
The data collected from these experiments will enable scientific theory and numerical simulation to be compared with the realities of observed operational behaviour.
 

Explore the facilities within this lab

Hexapod (Stewart Platform)

The University of Plymouth Hexapod (Stewart Platform) can apply motions on payloads up to 500 kg in 6 degrees of freedom. This includes linear translations up to ± 400 mm and rotations up to ± 40 degrees. 
The Hexapod will be used for studies in fluid sloshing and anti-roll tanks, validation of new control systems for floating offshore wind and testing of electronics systems designed to be deployed in a moving environment. 
A wide range of instrumentation is available for use with the platform, including optical tracking, load cells, pressure transducers and strain gauges. 
The Hexapod is available for use in both academic and commercial projects. If you are interested in using it, please contact coast@plymouth.ac.uk for more details and to discuss your requirements.   
Hexapod
500 kg payload
Travel range Tx, Ty (mm) ± 400
Travel range Tz (mm) ± 300
Travel range Rx, Ry (deg) ± 30
Travel range Rz (deg) ± 40
Speed Tx, Ty, (mm/s) 1 200
Speed Tz (mm/s) 1 000
Speed Rx, Ry (°/s) 100
Speed Rz (°/s) 140
Acceleration Tx, Ty, (mm/s²) 8000
Acceleration Tz (mm/s²) 8000
Acceleration Rx, Ry (°/s²) 800
Acceleration Rz (°/s²) 1100