Development of a micro stress-strain testing machine: a case of applied education research

Resumen

It is common knowledge that including research in classes can stimulate discussion, challenge established assumptions or clarify some concepts, although this is practically impossible in some theoretical subjects that have well-established content. A relationship between teaching and research is often assumed by some lecturers, especially when they teach theoretical-practical subjects. In this sense, the acquisition of basic theoretical knowledge that must be acquired in some of the engineering degree courses can be supported by the relationship between teaching and research when a micro stress-strain testing machine is developed in a research project. This paper shows that the relationship between the subject "materials" and a research project based on the development of elastomers can be useful to degree students in acquiring knowledge of the characteristic points obtained from stress-strain curves (yield stress, tensile strength, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio and deformation). The micro stress-strain testing machine that professors-researchers developed during the aforementioned research work was used for the development of several laboratory practices that the subject involved.