Materials Science & Engineering for Mechanical Engineers 2.

Non-destructive Tests
Lecture 5: Material Testing ➢ Samples or finished articles are tested before being used and as
routing maintenance checks
Material Testing ➢ Example: Radiography, Dye penetration test, etc.
➢ Materials testing is a well-established technique used to
determine the physical and mechanical properties of raw
materials and components from a human hair to steel, composite
materials and ceramics.

Reasons for Material Testing

● Meeting requirements of regulatory agencies
● Selecting appropriate materials and treatments for an application
● Evaluating product design or improvement specifications Tensile Test
● Verifying a production process ➢ A tensile test applies tensile (pulling) force to a material and
measures the specimen's response to the stress. By doing this,
Types of Material Testing tensile tests determine how strong a material is and how much it
1. Destructive Testing / Mechanical Tests can elongate.
➢ The material may be physically tested to destruction or ➢ Is done on a Universal Testing Machine (UTM)
indentation ➢ Variables such as strain, stress, elasticity, tensile strength,
➢ To measure the strength, hardness, toughness, etc. ductility, and shear strength are measured and computed.
➢ Examples: tensile testing, impact testing, hardness testing, ➢ Test specimens can be round or flat.
etc. ➢ Standard for Tensile testing: ASTM A370

ASTM A370
➢ is a testing standard that covers the mechanical testing
definitions and procedures of steel products such as
wrought and cast steels, stainless steels, and related alloys.
Universal Testing Machine (UTM) Hardness Testing
➢ A machine which applies a ➢ Hardness is the ability of a metal or metal alloy to resist plastic
tensile force (a force applied in deformation, in a specific, localized location rather than in a
opposite directions) to the general location. It is also defined as metal’s resistance to
specimen, and then measures indentation, scratching, or abrasion.
that force and also the ➢ Hardness is an important feature because the level of hardness
elongation.
that a metal has directly relates to its ability to resist wear.
➢ Uses a load cell and an
➢ Hardness levels can vary within a given type of metal depending
extensometer to apply
on the alloying elements, heat treatment, work hardening, and
measured force to a test
specimen and percentage other hardening methods used.
elongation, respectively ➢ Methods for evaluating hardness such as Brinell hardness and
➢ This machine usually uses a Rockwell hardness were invented to create a common
hydraulic cylinder to create the understanding of hardness levels because of the variation of
force. The applied force is hardness among metals and even within a family of metals.
determined by system
pressure, which can be Brinell Hardness Test (BHN)
accurately measured. ➢ Brinell hardness is a scale used to provide a numerical value to
the level of hardness of a material.
Tensile Test Results ➢ The method for conducting a Brinell hardness test is defined fully
in ASTM E10.
Cup and cone fracture signifies a ductile material. ➢ A certified Brinell indenter is pressed against a metal under a
predetermined load for a predetermined amount of time. All of
this is specified to reduce the risk of experiment method variation
affecting results.
➢ Typically, the indenter is a 10mm ball of hardened steel and
the force is 3,000 kgf for steels and other similar materials.
➢ For softer or harder materials, the test changes slightly. The
indenter is removed after it is applied onto the metal with a force,
and the resulting width of the indentation is measured using a
microscope.
A shear fracture indicates a brittle material. ➢ The measurement of the indentation can then be converted into a
Brinell hardness value using a Brinell hardness scale.
Rockwell Hardness Test (HRC) Rockwell Hardness Test (HRC) vs Brinell Hardness Test (BHN)
➢ The Rockwell hardness test is the most employed hardness test What is the Difference Between Rockwell and Brinell Tests?
method. It is used on all kinds of metals, except in situations ➢ The Brinell hardness testing uses a 10mm hardened steel

where the surface conditions and metal structure would produce ball, while the Rockwell test uses either a much smaller steel

high variations. ball (<4mm) or a diamond cone, depending on the material

➢ The exact method can be found in ASTM E18. being tested.

➢ Rockwell hardness tests are performed with an indenter of a ➢ The Rockwell test measures the depth of the indentation, while

specified size applied with a specified force for a predetermined the Brinell test measures the width of the indentation. Rockwell

amount of time. hardness tests use a preload to establish a zero position before

➢ The measurement of the indentation is then converted to a the main load is applied. The main load is then taken away and

Rockwell hardness value using a Rockwell hardness scale. only the preload remains. Then the distance traveled is measured
by the Rockwell testing machine.
Test Method Illustration ➢ The conversion scales for Rockwell hardness and Brinell
A = Depth reached by indenter after application of preload (minor load)
hardness are not the same and should not be confused with
B = Position of indenter during Total load, Minor plus Major loads
C = Final position reached by indenter after elastic recovery of sample material one another.
D = Distance measurement taken representing difference between preload and
major load position. This distance is used to calculate the Rockwell Hardness Vickers Hardness Test (HV)
Number. ➢ It is a test performed to measure the hardness of materials,
specifically thin sections and small parts.
➢ It is comprised of a diamond indenter and a light load to
produce an indentation on the subject under testing.
➢ The depth of indentation is converted into the hardness value of
the object.
➢ The smaller the indentation, the harder the object. Likewise, if
the indentation is large, the material is lacking in hardness.
➢ This test is utilized by many industries to determine the right type
of material to use for operations and machinery. A material with
ideal hardness according to its purpose should be chosen.
➢ The Vickers hardness test is also known as microhardness
testing.
Impact Testing Impact Testing – Pendulum
➢ Impact testing is testing an object's ability to resist high-rate ➢ A pendulum impact testing is used to determine the impact
loading. strength or toughness of a material under impact loading by
➢ An impact test is a test for determining the energy absorbed in measuring the amount of energy the material is able to
fracturing a test piece at high velocity. absorb.
➢ It is commonly thought of as one object striking another object at ➢ Understanding a material’s energy absorption properties is critical
a relatively high speed. The two primary forms of impact test are in predicting how much plastic, or permanent, deformation the
drop weight and pendulum impact tests. material will be able to withstand before failure and is an
important consideration in research and development
Impact Testing – Drop Weight
applications as well as for quality control and material acceptance
purposes.

Fatigue Testing

➢ A drop weight impact test typically determines a material's

➢ Fatigue testing applies cyclic loading to a test specimen to
resistance to a sudden external force.
understand how it will perform under similar conditions in
➢ This type of test is also applicable for pipe testing where the
actual use.
impact resistance of thermoplastic pipes is measured.
➢ The load application can either be a repeated application of a
➢ The standards which are applicable for this type of testing include
fixed load or simulation of in-service loads.
ASTM D2444 and ISO 3127.
➢ The load application may be repeated millions of times and
up to several hundred times per second.
Non-destructive Testing 2. Dye Penetration Testing (DPI)
1. Radiographic Testing (RT)

➢ This non-destructive testing technique, also known as liquid

penetrant inspection (LPI), is a cost-effective method used to
locate surface breaking flaws such as cracks, porosity, laps,
seams and other surface discontinuities.
➢ A non-destructive testing (NDT) method which uses either x-rays
➢ Dye penetrant inspection can be applied to both ferrous and
or gamma rays to examine the internal structure of
non-ferrous materials and all non-porous materials (metals,
manufactured components identifying any flaws or defects. plastics or ceramics).
➢ The test-part is placed between the radiation source and film ➢ It is commonly used to detect defects in castings, forgings
(or detector). The material density and thickness differences of and weldments.
➢ Applications: aerospace, power generation, petrochemical
the test-part will attenuate (i.e. reduce) the penetrating radiation
and oil, and gas
through interaction processes involving scattering and/or
absorption. 3. Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT)
➢ The differences in absorption are then recorded on film(s) or ➢ also referred to as Magnetic Particle Inspection, is a
nondestructive examination (NDE) technique used to detect
through an electronic means.
surface and slightly subsurface flaws in most ferromagnetic
➢ In industrial radiography there are several imaging methods materials such as iron, nickel, and cobalt, and some of their
available, techniques to display the final image, i.e. Film alloys.
Radiography, Real Time Radiography (RTR), Computed ➢ because it does not necessitate the degree of surface
Tomography (CT), Digital Radiography (DR), and Computed preparation required by other nondestructive test methods,
conducting MPT is relatively fast and easy. This has made it
Radiography.
one of the more commonly utilized NDE techniques.