Mechanical testing covers a wide range of tests, which can be divided broadly into two types: # those that aim to determine a material's

mechanical properties A materials property is an intensive property of a material, i.e., a physical property that does not depend on the amount of the material. These quantitative properties may be used as a metric by which the benefits of one material versus another ca ...

, independent of geometry. # those that determine the response of a structure to a given action, e.g. testing of composite beams, aircraft structures to destruction, etc.

Mechanical testing of materials

There exists a large number of tests, many of which are standardized, to determine the various mechanical properties of materials. In general, such tests set out to obtain geometry-independent properties; i.e. those intrinsic to the bulk material. In practice this is not always feasible, since even in tensile tests, certain properties can be influenced by specimen size and/or geometry. Here is a listing of some of the most common tests:Ed. Gale, W.F.; Totemeier, T.C. (2004), Smithells Metals Reference Book (8th Edition), Elsevier *

Hardness Testing Indentation hardness tests are used in mechanical engineering to determine the hardness of a material to deformation. Several such tests exist, wherein the examined material is indented until an impression is formed; these tests can be performed on ...

Vickers hardness test The Vickers hardness test was developed in 1921 by Robert L. Smith and George E. Sandland at Vickers Ltd as an alternative to the Brinell method to measure the hardness of materials. The Vickers test is often easier to use than other hardness t ...

(HV), which has one of the widest scales **

Brinell hardness test The Brinell scale characterizes the indentation hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. It is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science. History Proposed by Swe ...

(HB) **

Knoop hardness test The Knoop hardness test is a microhardness test – a test for mechanical hardness used particularly for very brittle materials or thin sheets, where only a small indentation may be made for testing purposes. A pyramidal diamond point is pressed i ...

(HK), for measurement over small areas **

Janka hardness test The Janka hardness test (; ), created by Austrian-born American researcher Gabriel Janka (1864–1932), measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed an steel ball halfway into a sample ...

, for wood **

Meyer hardness test The Meyer hardness test is a hardness test based upon projected area of an impression. The hardness, H, is defined as the maximum load, P_\text divided by the projected area of the indent, A_\text. :H=\frac . This is a more fundamental measureme ...

Rockwell hardness test The Rockwell scale is a hardness scale based on indentation hardness of a material. The Rockwell test measures the depth of penetration of an indenter under a large load (major load) compared to the penetration made by a preload (minor load). The ...

(HR), principally used in the USA **

Shore durometer The Shore durometer is a device for measuring the hardness of a material, typically of polymers. Higher numbers on the scale indicate a greater resistance to indentation and thus harder materials. Lower numbers indicate less resistance and soft ...

hardness, used for polymers ** Barcol hardness test, for composite materials *

Tensile testing Tensile testing, also known as tension testing, is a fundamental materials science and engineering test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure. Properties that are directly measured via a tensile test are ultimate ...

, used to obtain the stress-strain curve for a material, and from there, properties such as Young modulus, yield (or proof) stress, tensile stress and % elongation to failure. *Impact testing **

Izod test The Izod impact strength test is an ASTM standard method of determining the impact resistance of materials. A pivoting arm is raised to a specific height (constant potential energy) and then released. The arm swings down hitting a notched samp ...

Charpy test In materials science, the Charpy impact test, 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. Absorbed energy is a measure of the mater ...

Fracture toughness In materials science, fracture toughness is the critical stress intensity factor of a sharp crack where propagation of the crack suddenly becomes rapid and unlimited. A component's thickness affects the constraint conditions at the tip of a c ...

testing **Linear-elastic (K_Ic) **K–R curve **Elastic plastic (J_Ic, CTOD) * Creep Testing, for the mechanical behaviour of materials at high temperatures (relative to their melting point) *

Fatigue Testing Fatigue testing is a specialised form of mechanical testing that is performed by applying cyclic loading to a ''coupon'' or structure. These tests are used either to generate fatigue life and crack growth data, identify critical locations or ...

, for the behaviour of materials under cyclic loading **Load-controlled smooth specimen tests **Strain-controlled smooth specimen tests **Fatigue crack growth testing *

Non-Destructive Testing Nondestructive testing (NDT) is any of a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and technology industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. The terms nondestructive examination (NDE), n ...

References

General references

* * * *{{Citation , last = Foster , first = P. Field , title = The Mechanical Testing of Metals and Alloys , publisher = Read Books , year = 2007 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NFBQuCMXzbEC , isbn = 978-1406734799 , postscript =. Materials science Materials testing Tests