The destructive tests performed by the strength section of the department are mainly:
- Tensile testing
- hardness testing
- relaxation and creep testing
- Trestle testing
- Impact testing
Tensile testing can be performed at both low and high temperatures, at test pieces or on products such as bolts. The material parameters that can be obtained are ultimate tensile strength, yield strength limit, modulus of elasticity, tensile extension and reduction of area at failure.
We perform hardness testing for Brinell, Vickers or Rockwell values. Hardness testing can be used to locate or quantity the effects of heat treatment, and can also be used to determine certain characteristics of welds.
Relaxation/creep testing of reinforcing bars and similar metallic products at room temperature is used to investigate the long-term behaviour of such materials or products under load. Such knowledge is very important when the material or products is/are to be used in, for example, buildings or structures expected to have a life of decades or more.
Trestle testing can be used for such purposes as checking the character of a weld or the conformability of a material.
Impact testing provides information on the fracture toughness of a material. If performed at low temperatures, it can also be used to find the transition temperature of the material.
We can also help with the taking of samples, and their preparation for testing in our well-equipped workshop.