A benchtop platform that holds the experiments of the Structures range.

Entry-level DIC System for Education, Making Materials Come Alive in the lab

DefleX®-2D is an entry-level, 2D digital image correlation (DIC) system, designed to help students visualise and understand how materials and structures behave under load. The camera and software kit tracks how surfaces stretch, bend and move – turning invisible stresses into clear, visual colour maps of strain and displacement in real time. 

Ideal for material science, structures and mechanical engineering courses and labs, this compact, fully integrated teaching tool makes complex concepts easy to see and explore. DefleX®-2D provides a powerful yet simple way to visualise and analyse strains and deformations meaning students can directly compare experimental data with theoretical predictions or computer simulations, supporting a deeper blended learning experience.

From theory to reality - Seeing in microscopic detail

Combining theory, hands-on experimentation, visual learning, and technology evolution, DefleX®-3D is our teaching system helping students learn about 3D digital image correlation (DIC) that measures and visualises full-field surface deformations, strains and displacements. 

Designed for teaching, it enables students to explore material behaviour, experimental mechanics, and design validation with real-world data. Simple to calibrate and quick to set up, using two digital cameras and image analysis software, DefleX®-3D captures surface changes in real-time or playback, enabling footage manipulation and data analysis whenever, wherever.

A powerful introduction to Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for teaching and demonstration

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) is a complete teaching tool and demonstration system designed to introduce the fundamentals of digital image correlation (DIC). Using our DefleX®-2D or DefleX®-3D software, the user quickly learns how to set up, calibrate, and operate a DIC system, an advanced non-contact measurement technique widely used across research and industry. 

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) features four main testing areas: torsion, a tensile vice, cantilever bending, and a panel deflection apparatus that demonstrate a variety of use cases for DIC and showcase the capabilities of the DefleX® software as a measurement and visualisation tool.

A self contained floor standing unit consisting of a tank with tappings connected to a bank of piezometer tubes. It demonstrates flow through permeable media with common structures such as dams and walls.

A versatile bench-mounted machine for compressive and tensile tests on different materials and structures.

A bench mounting apparatus to allow students to investigate the deflections of unsymmetrical cantilevers.

A bench top frame with load cells and cantilevers for the study of deflection and forces on different types of beams for a wide range of supports and loads; also demonstrates Young's modulus.

Shows the various modes of buckling (elastic collapse or crippling) of slender compression members.

Bench mounted bending system to test tension, torsion and bending to illustrate how resistance strain gauges work and methods of measuring strains in different structures. Can be used to demonstrate Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio.

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a two-pinned arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a fixed arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of buckling of struts and the relationships between length, end fixing conditions and buckling load. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment that can be used to perform a wide variety of beam experiments, from simple cases to complex problems. Mounts on the Structures test frame and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for investigations into two common curved structures and two common davit structures. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of plastic theory and limit state design of beams. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of plastic theory and limit state design in portal frames. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of determinate and indeterminate truss structures. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of rectangular portals subjected to vertical loads. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a simple suspension bridge. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment that illustrates and proves the basic theory of bending moments in a beam. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of bending moments and sway in portal frames. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a suspended beam bridge. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a simply supported beam. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment that illustrates and proves the basic theory of shear force in a beam. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of beam deflection under different loads and fixing conditions, and the demonstration of Young’s modulus. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of stress distribution across the section of a beam. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of torque and deflection in different materials with circular section. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the vertical and horizontal deflection of different unsymmetrical sections. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of strains, stresses, forces and deflections in various pin jointed frameworks, and the study of Bow’s notation. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a three-pinned arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Compact, bench mounted apparatus enabling a variety of investigations into material stiffness including Young's modulus.

An optional set of additional components to extend the range of experimentation of the TE16 Stiffness of Materials and Structures Apparatus.

Experiment that uses the fundamental theory and Rayleigh's approximation to calculate the frequency of oscillation of a cantilever. Also utilises Dunkerley's method to predict the 'beam only' frequency. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.