Our research focus is in the mechanical characterization of solids and structures in challenging environments, and at high temperatures in particular. We are especially interested in the role that environment plays on a material's ability to withstand heterogeneous failure mechanisms such as fracture, fatigue, and creep.

Our lab uses advanced imaging techniques to extract full-field, in situ strain and temperature measurements across multiple length scales. These techniques are applied to a wide variety of advanced high temperature materials (including metals, ceramics, and composites), with applications geared towards the energy, aerospace, and nuclear industries.

---

News

June 18, 2018: Dr. Owen Kingstedt at the University of Utah is awarded $776,669 from the US Department of Energy, with Dr. Berke as a Co-PI.

June 5, 2108: Dr. Berke is elected Secretary of the Fracture and Fatigue Technical Division at the Society for Experimental Mechanics.

April 30, 2018: Katherine Burn and Samantha Burton are selected for the 2018-19 Engineering Undergraduate Research Program. Congratulations Katie and Sam!

April 26-27, 2018: Thinh Thai, Robert Hansen, and Ethan Nickerson successfully defend their MS theses.  Congratulations!

April 12, 2018: Ethan's paper, "Ultraviolet Diffraction-Assisted Image Correlation (UV-DAIC) for Single-Camera 3D Strain Measurement at Extreme Temperatures" is available from Experimental Mechanics.

April 3, 2018: Recent alumnus Trevor Bird is awarded an NSF Graduate Fellowship for his PhD studies at Purdue University. Congratulations Trevor!

Feb 23, 2018: Ethan Nickerson is recognized as the MAE Outstanding MS Student Researcher of the Year. Congratulations Ethan!

News Archive