Melissa Martinez
UTRGV Civil Engineering student Melissa Martinez completed her UTCRS REU experience at Texas A&M University. Ms. Martinez had a deep interest in materials engineering and non-destructive evaluation. For this reason she worked alongside UTCRS REU participant Sandra Gonzalez in the non-destructive evaluation of eyebar member specimens obtained from the former Burlington Rail Bridge structure. This structure had been in service for about a century and was just recently replaced. Ms. Martinez performed non-destructive analyses of these specimens, involving dye penetrant, ultrasonic (phase array), and laser scanning techniques. Her work in obtaining and analyzing these specimens and evaluating the interaction between pin and eyebar members, as well as the strength of the steel, was an important preliminary step in the fatigue test of the specimens. Ms. Martinez had the unique opportunity of thoroughly testing materials that have been in service for decades and evaluating their modes of failure.