Environmental

Environmental

Mechanical testing of metallic materials is not just performed in air at ambient temperatures. Testing is regularly conducted at elevated temperatures and often in specific chemical environement or under vacuum. This is done to reflect the actual service conditions of the intended part/material.

The most common form of environmental control for mechanical testing is temperature. The majority of test frames at SMaRT are fitted with a furnace for high temperature operation. Typically, three zone cylindrical resistance furnaces are fitted to creep frames, whilst a split design cylindrical furnace is used on the universal test frames, to facilitate loading. These furnaces operate up to temperatures around 1000°C. Additionally, SMaRT has a number of smaller split box furnaces capable of temperatures of 1300°C, which are also useful for applying heat to a small test section. A limited number of machines are equipped with induction heating systems which can apply a very precise heat affected zone.

At SMaRT we have a dedicated corrosion laboratory, where by hot gas corrosion testing is conducted. This typically involves performing mechanical tests within an environment of up to 300ppm SO2 in air at elevated temperatures. A facility to assess salt corrosion is also available. Use of other gaseous environments are possible; Argon is often used to provide an oxygen free test environment.

SMaRT has the capability to test under vacuum or partial pressure (down to 1.3×10-6 mbar). The test frames are typically used for fatigue crack growth testing but can be utilised for various forms of dynamic testing.