Introduction

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) hosted a technical seminar titled "Test Solution from MTS for Advanced Research" on Tuesday 25^th November. The session was delivered by Dr. Isaac Guan-Chung Ting, Regional Business Partner Manager for the Asia Pacific and Middle East & Middle Asia (APAC and MEMA) at MTS Systems Corporation. The event brought together faculty members, graduate students, and invited guests to explore how advanced mechanical testing systems can support cutting-edge research in materials, structures, and industrial applications.

Collaboration and Roles

The seminar reflected a strong collaboration between academia and industry. KFUPM’s Department of Mechanical Engineering served as the host, while MTS Systems Corporation provided the technical expertise through Dr. Ting. He oversees business partners and sales activities across several countries, supporting test and simulation solutions for automotive, civil engineering, and research laboratories. The seminar also acknowledged the presence of Integrated Marginal Scientific Supplies, the local partner representing MTS in the region. Together, these stakeholders aim to equip researchers and students with access to reliable, state-of-the-art testing technologies that can validate theories, support publications, and strengthen industrial collaboration.

As a trusted partner of globally recognized brands such as Agilent, TA, MTS, Cortest, and Bruker, IMSS–Gulf Bio Analytical Group offers comprehensive solutions in analytical instrumentation, materials testing, life sciences, and laboratory furniture. Advanced MTS Universal Testing Machines (UTMs) and fatigue testing systems can be presented to the team, providing precise and reliable tools for characterizing the mechanical behavior of materials under diverse conditions. Whether for metals, polymers, composites, or biomaterials, MTS systems support high-level research by delivering accurate, reproducible data essential for material development and performance evaluation. Training and technical support for existing equipment can also be provided to ensure full utilization of these advanced testing capabilities.

Seminar Highlights

Dr. Ting introduced MTS Systems Corporation, founded in 1966, which designs and integrates testing systems worldwide. The company builds complete platforms for testing materials, vehicles, aircraft, and infrastructure. A key point of the seminar was the importance of mechanical testing in research. While simulations and models are useful, they depend on high-quality experimental data. Testing provides the quantitative evidence needed to link theory, numerical predictions, and real-world behavior, revealing nonlinear responses, damage evolution, and failure modes that analysis alone cannot capture.

Dr. Ting discussed static and dynamic tests for metals, composites, polymers, biomaterials, fatigue testing, and high-rate impact experiments. He highlighted how properties like yield strength, ultimate strength, stiffness, and fatigue life are essential inputs for finite element models and quality control in manufacturing. On the structural side, he described large-scale systems testing building components, bridges, and structures on shaking tables to simulate earthquake loads. In aerospace, similar principles test aircraft wings and fuselage to extreme loads, ensuring safety standards.

The seminar also covered testing in the oil and gas sector, where components must endure high pressure, temperature, and corrosion. Drilling tools, pipelines, and pressure vessels require tests in rock mechanics, weld evaluation, and cryogenic performance for LNG. Dr. Ting also highlighted trends in emerging technologies, such as multi-axial material testing, high-temperature testing for turbine components, cryogenic testing for LNG, and the growing use of digital image correlation (DIC) systems, which provide full-field displacement and strain measurements.

Reflections and Quotes

Throughout the talk, Dr. Ting frequently returned to the idea that experimental work is a necessary counterpart to analytical and numerical methods. “Testing means that we are actually doing a test on some real things,” he noted. “Instead of relying only on simulations, we play with the real steel, the real structures, and the real components.”

When discussing large structural testing facilities, he described a shaking table capable of carrying a building-scale specimen: “Before you build the actual building, you put the model on top of the shaking table and try to bring it down. That is how you find out if your design is truly safe.”

He also reflected on the role of researchers in driving innovation at MTS: “Researchers give us the most challenging ideas. Every time we believe we have reached the limit of our systems, a research group asks us to go further.”

Using the example of rocket engines, he contrasted traditional single-use launch vehicles with the new generation of reusable rockets. In the past, he explained, designers did not worry about fatigue life because a rocket was fired only once. Today, with reusable systems, understanding material behavior under extreme thermal shock and repeated loading has become a critical research topic.