CRED - Dynamic and static test centre

The CRED is a dynamic and static test platform which can produce material stress up to the high deformation rates that occur during structural and impact crashes, or during high-speed shaping and assembly processes. Quasi-static stress and fatigue can also be tested on the CRED platform. Our partners are in the aerospace industry, e.g. Airbus and Safran, in energy, e.g. Areva, the automotive sector e.g. Faurecia, PSA, Renault, Vibracoustic and the naval sector e.g. Naval Group.
Through this facility, manufacturers can benefit from the tools and skills of our GeM researchers in terms of thermomechanical behavior of materials applied to real situations.
Whether for academic research or industrial problems, CRED provides valuable data that will allow for optimal product design. "

Christophe BINETRUY, Professor, Centrale Nantes

Experimental facilities for industrial and university studies.

These facilities are used for:

• dynamic and quasi-static characterization of the mechanical behavior of materials
• study of the impact of various projectiles on a target (rubber ball, metallic object, ice cube) at more than 300 m/s
• crash of structures

This is followed by an ISO 9001 quality process.

The facilities:

Quasi-static testing:

• INSTRON Machines 5584 (150 kN), 8805 (1200 kN)

Fatigue testing:

• INSTRON E10000 (linear-torsion 10 kN-150 Nm)
• MTS (150 and 250 kN)

Dynamic testing:

• Crossbow system
• Gas gun and Hopkinson bar testing
• MTS 20 kN test machine

Structural impact testing:

• Gas gun firing ice
• Cannon testing
• Gas launcher
• Falling mass

Structural crash testing: Drop shaft

Video facilities:

• High speed video cameras
• High speed infra-red video cameras (from -10 à 1000°C)
• Digital image correlation (29 Mpixels cameras)
• Photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV)

Thermal conditioning:

• Thermal chambers (from -150 à 600°C)
• Furnace (up to 1000°C)

High pulsed power:

• 12, 16 and 50KJ generators