Mechanical Properties Testing

In order for products to be successful on the market, each component part must be suitable for the application for which it is intended. The way to determine this is to ensure that materials and the individual parts of each product are rigorously tested and inspected. Mechanical properties testing includes a series of tests to analyse the properties of materials used in manufacture, such as tensile strength, elasticity, elongation, hardness, fracture toughness or impact resistance, stress rupture and the fatigue limit. Mechanical properties testing will typically take place at milestone stages throughout the manufacture and assembly of products. Machines used to carry out mechanical testing include universal test machines, microhardness and hardness testing machines and bend and fatigue machines. Tests are carried out by applying force either dynamically or statically; and programmable software is utilised for the input and analysis of data to determine whether components and the materials they are made of are fit for purpose. Typically, testing the mechanical properties of materials is common in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, commercial, oil and gas, primary metals and construction industry, amongst others. European standards like BS EN 10045-1, which are designed to ensure materials are safe and products meet the required quality standards.