Facilities

We are currently updating this page. For a current list of campus facilities and equipment, including things in Hill Hall please visit:  

Research Facilities at Mines 

Located in Nathaniel Hill Hall, the laboratory facilities are among the best in the nation. The combination of classroom instruction and laboratory hands-on experience provide for a well integrated education leading to a baccalaureate degree. The well-equipped laboratories are dedicated to:

  • particulate and chemical/extraction metallurgical-and-materials processing
  • foundry science
  • corrosion and hydro-/electro-metallurgical studies
  • physical and mechanical metallurgy
  • welding and joining
  • forming, processing,and testing of ceramic materials

Mechanical testing facilities include computerized machines for tensile, compression, torsion, toughness, fatigue and thermo-mechanical testing. There are also other highly specialized research laboratories dedicated to: vapor deposition, and plasma and high-temperature reaction-systems.

Support analytical-laboratories for surface analysis, emission spectrometry, X-ray analysis, optical microscopy and image analysis, electron microscopy, including an analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy and the latest in scanning electron microscopy, and micro-thermal-analysis/mass spectrometry.

Ceramics Processing Facilities
  • Multiple Air Furnaces to 1700° C
  • Multiple controlled atmosphere furnaces
  • Vacuum hot press (2000° C, 25 ton)
  • Induction hot press (2000° C, 25 ton)
  • Ceramics forming facilities (tape caster, extruder, die-presses)
  • Particle size analysis
  • Synthesis laboratories including wet labs
  • Ball Mills

Contact: Professor Geoff Brennecka
Hill Hall 380
(303) 384-2238
gbrennec@mines.edu

Chemical and Structural Analytical Facilities
  • Optima 3000 ICP Spectrometer – Chemistry, (303) 273-3610
  • CRAY 5 UV-Nir Spectrometer – Colin Wolden, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Alderson Hall 423, (303) 273-3544
  • Leco Interstitial Analyzers
  • Complete Hydrogen (diffusible and total) Analyzer
  • Mossbauer Spectrometers – Don Williamson, Meyer Hall 257, Physics, MH 340, (303) 273-3837
  • UV Spectrometers – Physics, Room 425, Meyer Hall, Departmental office phone: (303) 273-3830 Chromatographs – Chemistry and
  • Chemical and Biological Engineering, (303) 273-3610
  • X-ray Diffraction Systems
Coating/Thin Film Testing and Deposition System
  • Scratch/adhesion Tester
  • Wear Tester
  • KLA Tencor D600 Stylus Profilometer *
  • WYCO optical profilometer
  • 8,000 Square Feet Thin Film Labs (2 clean rooms)
  • VAC TEC, VCC 7740 Vertical Cathode PVD Unit
  • VAC TEC, MLIV Horizontal Cathode PVD Unit
  • Varian Ion Implantation
  • Hyper Ion PVD Unit
  • Angstrom COVAP thermal evaporator *
  • High temperature multi material thermal evaporator *
  • AJA 4 gun RF sputtering system *
  • Semicore 3 gun Sputtering system *
  • Tabletop gold sputter coater *Perkin Elmer RF Sputtering System 2400-8SA
  • Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron System
  • Watkins Johnson Atmospheric Pressure CVD Unit
  • Laser Surface Modification Facilities

Instrumentation noted with *  is housed in the Mines Shared Instrumentation Facility.  CLICK HERE for further instrumentation details, contact information and to reserve instrument time.

Commercial Codes
  • Process Simulation Software – Aspen
  • Finite Element Software – ABAQUS (Ivar Reimanis – Metallurgy, Hill Hall 201A, 303-273-3549)
  • Quantum Mechanical Software – Gaussian 94 Spartan
  • Materials and Molecular Modeling Packages – Cerius 2

Contact: Professor James (Jim) Ely, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Alderson Hall 451
(303) 273-3885
jely@mines.edu

Corrosion and Surface Analysis
  • EG&G PARC 273 Potentiodynamic Analytical System
  • Salt Spray Corrosion Testing
  • High Temperature Corrosion Testing
  • PH and Selective Electrode Sensors
  • XPS
  • Auger Electron Analysis
  • Schlumberger 1255 High Frequency Response Analyzer
  • 3852 HP Data Acquisition System
  • Cyclic Voltammetry Measurement
  • Electrochemical Impedance Analyzer
  • Ellipsometer
  • Surface Area Analyzer

 

Contact: Professor Stephen Liu
Hill Hall 281
303-273-3796
sliu@mines.edu

Electron Microscopy Laboratory

The Electron Microscopy Laboratory at Mines is a user facility for imaging and analytical instruments, including scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM/STEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy of x-rays (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), focused ion beam (FIB), x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and laser/Raman confocal microscopy. Laboratory staff members are available to perform analysis for customers for an additional technical assistance fee.

Visit Mines Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF) for further instrumentation details, contact information and to reserve instrument time.

Electronic Materials Characterization
  • JA Woolham Spectroscopic Ellipsometer
  • Tencor Temperature Dependent Hall Effect Analyzer *
  • Low Temperature Photoluminescence Spectrometer
  • Cary 5G UV-Vis Spectrometer *
  • Avantes UV-Vis system with integrating sphere *
  • Digital Instruments AMF *
  • C-V, I-V, Probe station *
  • 4 point probe resistance meter *
  • PV Efficiency Instruments *
  • Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope
  • Varian Ion Implanter

Instrumentation noted with *  is housed in the Mines Shared Instrumentation Facility.  CLICK HERE for further instrumentation details, contact information and to reserve instrument time.

Electronic Materials Processing Facility
  • 1000 sq. ft. Class 1000 Clean Room
  • 3000 sq. ft. Thin Film Deposition Facility
  • Karul Suss MJB3 UV400 Mask Aligner
  • ABM USA Semiautomatic mask aligner
  • Autoglow 200 Reactive Ion Etcher
  • Spin coater / hot plate
  • Diffusion, Oxidation, and Vacuum Furnaces
  • TBT HB05 Wire Bonder

Visit Mines Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF) for further instrumentation details, contact information and to reserve instrument time.

Hot Shop
  • Foundry
  • Glassblowing
  • Forging

Please visit the Hot Shop website for more details.

Contact: Sarah Harling
Hill Hill 317
sarahharling@mines.edu

Hydrometallurgical Capabilities
  • Leaching Systems
  • Precipitation Systems
  • Analytical Support
  • Sol Gel Processing

Contact: Professor Patrick Taylor
Hill Hall 358
303-384-2130
prtaylor@mines.edu

Joining and Welding Laboratory
  • Complete Arc Welding Capability
  • Laser Welding System
  • Solid State Bonding
  • Soldering and Brazing Capability
  • Fixtures for Hot Cracking Susceptibility Testing
  • Gleeble Thermomechanical Simulator
  • Experimental Welding Consumable Production Capability
  • Underwater Welding

Contact: Professor Zhenzhen Yu
303-273-3798
Hill Hall 370
zyu@mines.edu

Research Center: Center for Joining, Welding and Coatings Research 

 

Machine Shop

Contact: Professor Gerald Bourne
Hill Hall 115
303-273-3778
bourne@mines.edu

Mass Spectrometer
  • Extrel ELQ – 400 Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometer
  • Extrel ELQ – 400 LC/MS Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometer
  • Perkin Elmer Q-Mass 910 GC/MS Systems
  • JEOL M Station High Resolution Mass Spectromete
Mechanical Testing and Forming
  • 4 MTS Servohydraulic testing units with load capacity between 10-100 kips
  • High strain rate servohydraulic testing frame with displacement rates up to 13 m/s
  • 3 creep frames
  • Fatigue testing: Uniaxial, rotating bending, bending, Krouse-type, torsion capabilities
  • Rolling Sliding Contact Fatigue Machine
  • 4 Rolling Contact Fatigue Machines
  • 2 Slow Strain Rate Frames with environmental chambers
  • Dry Sand Rubber Wheel Wear Tester
  • Cathodic Charging for H-embrittlement studies
  • Hole Drilling Equipment for Residual Stress Analysis
  • Charpy Impact Tester
  • Drop Weight Tear Tester
  • Furnaces and extensometry for elevated temperature testing

Visit Mines Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF) for further instrumentation details, contact information and to reserve instrument time.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
  • NMR – 400 Mhz Liquid – Solids NMR Spectrometer
Nuclear Radiation Analysis
  • High Gamma Ray Detection with Simulation Detectors
  • Resolution Gamma Ray Delection with Semiconductor Defector
  • Charge Particle Detection with Semiconductor Defectors
  • Neutron Activation

Contact: Professor Uwe Greife, Physics
303-273-3618
ugreife@mines.edu

Particulate Processing and Analysis
  • Powder Metallurgy Processing
  • Mineral Processing
  • Ceramic Particulate Processing
  • Particle Size Analyzer

Contact: Professor Patrick Taylor
Hill Hall 358
303-384-2130
prtaylor@mines.edu

Physical Metallurgy Laboratory
  • Specimen Preparation Capability
  • Metal Forming Capability
  • Image Analysis
  • Optical Microscopy
  • Numerous Heat Treatment (vacuum and air) Systems
  • Rockwell Hardness and Vickers Microhardness testers

Contact: Professor Gerald Bourne
Hill Hall 115
303-273-3778
bourne@mines.edu

FOM Registration Instructions

Physical Characterization
  • Netzsch Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer
  • Netzsch High Temperature Dilatometer
  • Netzsch Differential Scanning Calorimeter
  • Netzsch Thermal Conductivity Tester
  • Seiko TG/D and Cahn TGA Both Interfaced to a Fisons Mass Spectrometer
  • Bio-Rad Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer
  • Thermal Conductivity
Polymer Characterization
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy
  • Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)
  • Light Scattering Molecular Weight Characterization
  • Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
  • Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
  • Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
  • UV-Vis Spectroscopy
  • Fluorescence Spectroscopy
  • Electrochemistry Characterization
  • Contact Angle Measurements
  • JEOL ECA-500 NMR Spectrometer – 500 MHz, variable temperature instrument capable of measuring all relevant nuclei with a 24 position sample changer.
  • Bruker Avance III 400 MHz Spectrometer – solids analysis system with MAS, diffusion, and variable temperature capabilities.
  • Waters GPC interfaced with a Wyatt mini-DAWN light scattering detector – Gel permeation chromatography capable of absolute molecular weight determination.
  • Viscotek GPCmax – GPC system with RI, UV-Vis, light scattering, and viscosity detectors capable of absolute molecular weight determination.
  • Wyatt Dawn Helios-II – 18 angle light scattering detector with an optilab T-rex RI detector for combined characterization of molecular weight and refractive index increments.
  • Seiko Instruments TG/DTA 320 with SSC5200H Thermal Analysis System – Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis system for determination of thermal transitions in polymeric and other materials.
  • Perkin-Elmer Pyris DSC – Differential scanning calorimeter for the determination of glass transition temperatures, melting points, crystallization temperatures, cure temperatures, as well as other calorimetric data associated with these thermal transitions.
  • Capable of analysis from -150°C to more than 600°C.
  • TA instruments Q20 DSC – Differential scanning calorimeter for the determination of glass transition temperatures, melting points, crystallization temperatures, cure temperatures, as well as other calorimetric data associated with these thermal transitions.
  • Thermo Electron Evolution 300 – UV-Vis spectrometer with xenon lamp light source for absorbance or transmittance from 190-1100 nm.
  • Thermo Electron Nicolet 4700 – FT-IR spectrometer capable of measuring IR transmittance or absorbance as films, powders, or by attenuated total reflectance.  The system has a grazing angle total reflectance (GATR) attachment.
  • Photon Technology International QuantaMaster 40 – Fluorescence Spectrometer – capable of measuring photoluminescence with different excitation energies on liquid samples and films.
  • Gamry Series G 300/750 Potentiostat – potentiostat with EIS capabilities for determining electrochemical behavior.
    PAR model 176/model 276 interface potentiostat/galvanostat – with PARC electrochemistry software

Contact: Professor Daniel Knauss, Chemistry
Coolbaugh Hall 158
303-273-3625

Reaction System (SHS) Testing Reaction Chamber
  • Microgravity Processing Chambers
  • Powder Processing Facilities
Thermal Analysis Laboratory
  • DSC/DTA/GTA Laboratory

Contact: Professor Michael Sanders
Hill Hall 341
303-273-3106
misander@mines.edu