[CREDITS]

Location  /  Aims  /  Facilities  /  Researchers and Students  /  Projects in Progress

 

LOCATION

The Materials Science & Engineering Laboratory (briefly, "Materials Lab") of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Talca, is located in Curicó, near Santiago (187 km South; 2 h 30 min by bus; 2 h by train), Chile.

The Campus Curicó have near 1000 students among 5 careers, on Mechanical, Mechatronics, Construction, Industrial, and Computing Engineering.

The Materials Lab is been developed since 1999, and has both Academic and Research areas. In the research one, it is the Magnetism and Superconductivity Laboratory (briefly, "MaScLab") which is strongly devoted to Materials Science Research, mainly sensors technology, detectors systems, applied magnetism and high-Tc superconductivity, all of them are the fields of present high scientific and technological relevance.

Modern industries need work in collaboration between their engineers and scientific and technological specialized centers. Then, the Materials Lab is very interest to perform Research and Development (R&D) for enterprises and industries, which use technologicaly advanced equiment and instruments for the food or goods production. In these kind of processes, there are uncountless number of problems and situations hard to solve only from the industrial point of view. In many cases, scientific knowledge and experience, sophisticated and precise methods, and a multidisciplinary team are required to solve an appararently simple problem. The Materials Lab has several specialized instruments, and is working with the staff of the Engineering Sciences Department, physicists and engineers with experience in magnetism, cryogenics, instrumentation, digital and analog control and power electronics, and food engineering and ecology.

Beyond the intrinsic interest in R&D, the Materials Lab intends to develop appropriate technical and scientific experience in experimental methods, magnetism and superconductivity in Chile. Particularly, several projects intends to introduce advanced engineering students to R&D, and contribute to the engineering thesis of undergraduate students of the Faculty.

At present, scientists of the Materials Lab are carrying-out FONDECyT Projects No. 1040668+7040043 and 1040666+7040046 in the Applied Superconductivity field.

The University of Talca provides computing and communication facilities, from the main campus in Talca, Campus Lircay.  The entire Institution (including the Engineering Campus in Curicó) is linked by a digital network to world wide web, electronic mail, video-conferences, fax and telephone communications.

The researchers and students have the corresponding access to the Central Library and the laboratories in the Campus Lircay, and to the Library and laboratories of the Campus Curicó.

The Faculty of Engineering adquired equipment and materials for its laboratories and library, thanks to a MECESUP project (No. TAL 9901) for USD 1,400,000 during the 1999-2002 period.

In the same "green" building, the Materials Lab is very close to the General Physics, Electronics, Computing and Chemistry Labs. In the same Campus, there are many others labs.  Particularly, the Control and Automatization Lab, Thermal Engines Lab, Computing Mechanical Design Lab, Mechanical Workshop, etc.

The Materials Lab is divided in 5 sectors:

(1) Lab Instructor Office
2 technical assistants capacity
    Desk Computer + Printer
    Kitchen with a MicroWave Oven
    Sink and WC

(2) Spectroscopy Room (Under development)
2 technical assistants capacity
    Optical Bench with lenses, prisms, spliting mirrors, color and polarizing filters, grattings, slits, etc.
    Incandescent Lamps, Bunsen Burner, Gas Monochromatic Light Sources
    Spectrometer; Monochomator; Interferometer
    Temperature Control System
    Peltier Thermo Refrigerator/Heater
    Photography and Holography Darkroom with drugs and Paper storage
    Sink

(3) Lectures Room
40 students capacity
    2 PC Computers
    6 Digital Regulated Power Supplies
    6 Digital Bench Frequency Counter and Function Generators
    6 Analog Oscilloscopes
    Data-Show, Slides and Transparencies Projector Facilities
    Dedicated Technical and Scientific Library (mostly Electronics, Materials and Physics)

(4) Sample Preparation Room
6 technical assistants capacity
    PC Computer
    Digital Precision Bench Milliohm Meter
    Digital Precision Bench LC Meter
    Digital Precision Bench Function Generator
    Digital Precision Bench Multimeter
    Controlled Temperature Soldering Station
    High Temperature Soldering Facility
    Optical Stereoscopic Microscope
    Digital Programmable J/K type 2-Thermocouple Thermometers
    Automatic Controlled Furnace with different Atmospheres
    Automatic Controlled Furnace with different Atmospheres (Under development)
    Stirrer with heater
    Two sinks

(5) Magnetism and Superconductivity Lab
6 technical assistants capacity
    Desk Computer + Printer
    Helium Closed-Cycle Optical 10-300 K Cryocooler
    Digital Dual Channel Lock-in Amplifier
    FFT Spectrum Analyzer
    Digital Oscilloscope
    Digital Programmable Power Supply
    Iron Core Electromagnet for Magnetic Characterization
    Digital Teslameter with axial and transversal Hall probes
    Vacuum System
    20 L Dewar for Liquid Nitrogen
    Analog X-Y and Y-t Recorder
    Dynamic Curve Tracer for electronic components characterization
    Sink

Jorge Guillermo Ossandón Gaete; Ph. D.
Physicist; Full Professor, University of Talca
Principal Investigator Projects 1040666+7040046

José Luis Giordano; Ph. D.
Physicist; Associate Professor, University of Talca
Head, Materials Research Lab
Principal Investigator Projects 1040668+7040043
Co-investigator Projects 1040666+7040046

Igor Alberto Ruíz-Tagle Gutiérrez; Eng.
Chemistry; Lab Instructor; University of Talca

Industrial Engineering Students:

Ingrid Johanna Correa Leiva
Materials Engineering  Course

Natalia Soledad Cruz Cruz
Classical Electromagnetism (Lab) Course

Francisca Ruby Díaz Hinojosa
Classical Electromagnetism (Lab) Course
Assistantship

Luis Fernández
Assistantship

Jimena Gajardo
Classical Electromagnetism (Lab) Course

Víctor Ibarra Ábalos
Classical Electromagnetism (Lab) Course

Julio Mardones
Materials Engineering  Course

Paula Muñoz
Fondecyt 1040668

Ana Paola Ponce Rojas
Materials Engineering (Lab) Course

Jimena Toledo
Fondecyt 1040668


Computing Engineering Students:

Alfonso Morris
Assistantship

See Research

Modeling of Magnetic Field lines in Magnetic Separators for Food Processing
J. L. Giordano

Analysis of the Floating Problem in Aquaculture Food
J. L. Giordano, A. Iriarte G., I. Ruíz-Tagle