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Mechanical Testing
Evaluate Materials properties
The application of hardness testing enables you to evaluate a material’s properties, such as strength, ductility and wear resistance, and so helps you determine whether a material or material treatment is suitable for the purpose you require. The information from a hardness test can complement and frequently be used in tandem with other material verification techniques such as compression or tensile to provide critical performance information.
Hardness is measured by loading an indenter of specified geometry and properties onto the material for a definite length of time and measuring either the depth of penetration or dimensions of the resulting impression or indentation. The depth of penetration or indent dimensions becomes larger as the material being tested is softer.
Hardness Testing
AMS utilizes an automatic Qness 60 A+ micro and macro hardness testing machine to carry out Brinell, Vickers, and Knoop* testing. It is a machine that combines the latest generation best of both worlds – hardness testing and microscopy without compromise and with maximum operating convenience. The revolutionary optical system with a color camera provides reproducible and reliable results every time. This machine is coupled with a Qness 150R model which enables our technicians to carry out Rockwell hardness testing.
Typical test specifications include ASTM E10*, ASTM E18, ASTM E92, ASTM E384*, ASTM A370, ASTM E110, BS EN ISO 6506, BS EN ISO 6507 and BS EN ISO 6508.
*outside our UKAS scope
- Hardness tests that measure the size of the impression left by the indenter include: Vickers (HV), Knoop, and Brinell (HBW)
- Hardness tests that measure the depth of indenter penetration include: Rockwell (HRC, HRB, HRA)
Tensile Testing
A lot can be learned about a material from tensile testing. Tensile Testing is a form of tension testing and is a destructive engineering and materials science test whereby controlled tension is applied to a sample until it fully fractures.
Being one of the most common material testing techniques, tensile testing is used to determine properties such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, ductility, strain hardening characteristics, Young’s modulus (modulus of elasticity) and Poisson’s ratio.
To obtain the above-mentioned properties the material is monitored while it is being pulled which results in a complete profile of its tensile properties. When plotted on a graph, this data results in a stress/strain curve which shows how the material reacted to the forces being applied.
Our wide range of capabilities include:
- Typical specifications include ASTM E8/E8M, ASTM A370, BS EN ISO 6892-1, ASTM B557M, ASTM E21, BS EN ISO 6892-2 and compressive yield in accordance with ASTM E9. Testing to the above specifications is UKAS accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017.
- Bespoke jigs can be manufactured to test in principle any component as per the client's requirements
- Testing of all types of materials and products such as forgings, fasteners, bolts, rebars, castings, forgings, wires, and many more.
- Tensile (ambient temperature, forces from 1.5 kN to 1000kN). Elevated temperature tensile testing from ambient to 200°C (forces from 1.5kN to 150kN).
Impact Testing
Impact tests are used in studying the toughness of the material. A material’s toughness is a factor of its ability to absorb energy during plastic deformation. Brittle materials have low toughness as a result of the small amount of plastic deformation that they can endure. The impact value of a material can also change with temperature. Generally, at lower temperatures, the impact energy of a material is decreased. The size of the specimen may also affect the value of the impact test because it may allow a different number of imperfections in the material, which can act as stress risers and lower the impact energy.
Also known as the Charpy V-notch test, is a standardized high strain-rate test which determines the amount of energy absorbed by a material during fracture. This absorbed energy is a measure of a given material’s notch toughness and acts as a tool to study the temperature-dependent ductile-brittle transition.
Charpy Testing can be carried out at temperatures between –196°C and room temperature °C. Typical specifications include ASTM E23, ASTM A370, BS EN ISO 148-1. AMS utilises two impact testing machines, both automatic with capacity of 450 (J).
Testing to the above specifications is UKAS accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017.