Materials mechanical property measurement

Measuring the physical or mechanical properties of materials is an important requirement in all industries. Each raw material, component or finished product will have a desirable or specified set of properties whether it is hardness, strength of a seal, flexibility or adhesiveness, for example.

The physical/mechanical properties of a material or component describes their ability to resist deformation from an applied force which then determines the limits of a material’s functionality, performance expectations and lifetime of use. By a series of variations of tensile or compressive tests, materials testing equipment can offer a means of measuring and quantifying these properties in an objective manner whether it is by bending, extruding, compressing, stretching, puncturing or cutting a sample.

The mechanical properties of materials continuously change when exposed to various conditions such as heat or moisture and therefore properties need to be measured over conditions or environments to which the material, component or finished product is expected to be in use.

At their most simplistic form, material characterisation tests all have one of two things in common – a test in either tension or compression. A multitude of probes and fixtures are available that attach to the instrument for the support of the material or for specific application of force/deformation to the material.

Regardless of whether the test is performed in compression or tension, a resulting curve can be analysed to obtain the following typical fundamental parameters: Strain rate, Moduli (Young’s, tangent, chord, secant), Resilience, Yield stress, Strain to yield, x% proof stress, Maximum stress, Strain at maximum stress, Energy at maximum stress, Breaking strain, Hysteresis %, Energy to failure.

When specifically measuring in tension additional parameters may include: Necking onset, Ultimate tensile strength, Strain hardening parameter, Strength coefficient

Flexure using three point bend for cuboid and cylindrical samples: Yield stress, Young’s Modulus, Flexural strength, Toughness.

Indentation using conical and spherical probes: Indentation modulus, Hardness, Elastic energy, Plastic energy, Indentation Energy.

Puncture of uniform thickness thin films using spherical probes: Stiffness, Strength, Toughness, Failure strain.

The TA.XTplusC and TA.HDplusC instruments are experts in the measurement of all of these properties and many more, with ASTM and ISO Standard tests built into the software or using the flexibility of empirical or imitative force measurements. Testing is easy and repeatable as test settings are automatically loaded and additional data such as audio and visual can be recorded to help with analysis, such as in the event of a fracture. We help make your testing quicker to access and the analysis of your product properties already prepared for you.

We are dedicated to ensuring the highest standards in mechanical property measurement for your materials. Learn how our clients have benefited from our expertise.