Facilities

The Rock and Mineral Physics Lab at the University of Minnesota houses a range of equipment for performing rock deformation experiments at extreme conditions. Our primary apparatus are two gas-medium Paterson apparatus for high-temperature and high-pressure experiments. We also have equipment for high-temperature, room-pressure experiments and a variety of equipment for preparing samples for experiments and subsequent microstructural characterization.

In 2017, the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab relocated from Kohltoff Hall to join the School of Earth and Environmental Science as part of a major renovation of Tate Hall. Look through the media below to tour our equipment and new lab space.

Our group members also use equipment external to the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab, including electron microscopes at the Characterization Facility, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and the Deformation-DIA at Argonne National Lab.

Video tour of the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab

Paterson Apparatus (PI-10)

PI-10 was the second Paterson apparatus to be installed in the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab and has been in operation since 2000. Similar to PI-3, confining pressures up to 300 MPa are generated by Argon gas. Temperatures up to 1250°C are generated by a furnace internal to the pressure vessel. A major benefit of this particular furnace design is the relatively small temperature gradient across the sample (~1°C over the entire sample length). A compensated actuator allows for axial compression and tension of samples that are on the order of 1 to 3 cm in length.

There are two primary features of PI-10 not available on PI-3. First, PI-10 is fitted with a torsion actuator to twist samples by applying a torque to the loading column. This capability allows very high shear strains to be achieved for investigating microstructural evolution. Torsion can also be combined with compression or extension to generate a wide range of stress states and deformation geometries. Second, PI-10 is fitted with a pore-pressure system, which allows the pore pressure within the sample to be monitored and modified.

Video tour of the Rock and Mineral Physics Lab

Paterson Apparatus (PI-10)

Paterson Apparatus (PI-3)

Gas-mixing furnaces

Uniaxial creep rig

Sample preparation and characterization