Abstract

Toughness is a measure of a material’s ability to resist sudden or impact loads.

Toughness is measured by impact tests, Charpy impact test. This test is most commonly used
to evaluate the relative toughness or impact toughness of materials. By subjecting a specimen
to an impact load, it will fail if the load exceeds the breaking strength of the material. By
using a swinging pendulum to impart the load, the energy required to fracture the specimen
can be calculated by observing the height the pendulum swings after fracture. There were
three types of specimen used in this experiment, which are steel, aluminium and acrylic.

Objective
The objectives of this experiment are;
1. To study the principle of impact testing using metals.
2. To determine the relative toughness of a specimen.
3. To determine the amount of energy (in Joules) required to break a specimen.

Methodology
First, the pendulum on the machine was raised and locked into position. It was then
set to an initial position with the scale at zero, as shown in Figure 1. The sample piece was
then loaded in the machine, with the cut centered as best we could by hand in the machine, as
shown in Figure 2. The force indicator on the machine was then set to full force, all the way
to the left. The clear glass door was then closed to prevent broken pieces of specimen from
escaping the machine. After making sure the area was clear, the pendulum was released. The
measurement was then recorded from the indicator. These steps were used with the three
types of specimen in this experiment, which were steel, aluminium and acrylic as shown in
Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figure 1: The hammer raised and scale set to zero

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Figure 2: Specimen set into the machine

Figure 3: Steel

Figure 4: Aluminium

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 Figure 5: Acrylic

Data analysis

a) Steel
Absorption energy: 37.7J
Observation: Steel did not break, but it showed a dent and it might break. Steel is ductile and
is the toughest in this experiment.

Figure 6: The measurement of energy absorption of steel, 37.5J

Figure 7: steel after impact

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b) Aluminium
Absorption energy: 24.4J
Observation: Steel did not break, but it showed a severe dent and it might break. Steel is
ductile and is the toughest in this experiment. Aluminium is durable, ductile and lightweight.
It is slightly less tough compared to steel.

Figure 8: The measurement of energy absorption of aluminium, 24.4J

Figure 9: Aluminium after impact

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c) Acrylic
Absorption energy: 0.3J
Observation: Acrylic broke during the experiment. It is a brittle material and it is the least
tough in this experiment.

Figure 10: The measurement of energy absorption of acrylic, 0.3J

Figure 11: Acrylic after impact

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 Based on the experiment, we found out steel is the toughest followed by aluminium.
The least of them all is acrylic.
The steel and aluminium did not break whereas for the acrylic, it broke. Although
aluminium did not break, it showed a severe dent that made it look it was about to break.
Steel: The broken surface of steel showed that it is tough enough although it did not break. It
did show a dent that indicates the steel might break. The surface that broke showed that it is a
highly ductile material. It is the toughest specimen in the experiment.

Aluminium: The broken of aluminium showed that the material is tough enough. Although it
did show a severe dent after the experiment. Aluminium is a ductile material. In this
experiment, aluminium is slightly less tough compared to steel.

Acrylic: The acrylic instantly broke and that showed the material is brittle material even
though it broke smoothly and even. Acrylic has the lowest toughness in this experiment
compared to steel and aluminium.

Discussion
i. Why is impact testing important? What are the uses of impact test?

Impact test determines the amount of energy absorbed by a material during fracture.
This absorbed energy is a measure of a given material's toughness and acts as a tool to
study temperature-dependent brittle-ductile transition. It is to determine whether the
material is brittle or ductile in nature. It is also used to determine material behaviour
at higher deformation speeds.

ii. What is the difference between Charpy and Izod impact tests? Which one is preferred
in which case?

In the Izod method, the test material is placed in a vertical position, while in the
Charpy method, the test material is placed horizontally. The notch in the Izod test is
facing the striker, fastened in a pendulum, while in the Charpy test, the notch is
positioned away from the striker. In the Charpy method, there are two kinds of
notches, the V-notch and the U-notch, while in the Izod method, there is only one
kind of notch. One of the main differences from Charpy impact is that Izod impact
testing can be performed on either plastic or metallic specimens.

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 Figure 12: Difference in apparatus set up

Charpy impact testing is most commonly performed on metals, there are also several
standards that exist for plastics and polymers, including ASTM D6110 and ISO 179.
While for Izod impact test methods include ASTM D256, ASTM E23, and ISO 180.

Conclusion
Impact testing involves the sudden and dynamic application of the load. The Charpy
impact test, or the Charpy v-notch test determines the amount of energy absorbed by a
material during fracture. This absorbed energy is a measure of a given material’s fracture
toughness. Toughness is a property, which is capacity of a material to resist fracture when
subjected to impact. The machine measures the amount of energy absorbed by the specimen
for the rapture in joules unit (J).

Reference
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Available at: http://www.dept.aoe.vt.edu/~aborgolt/aoe3054/manual/app4/index.html.
2. Element.com. (2018). Charpy vs. Izod: An Impact Testing Comparison | Element.
[online] Available at: https://www.element.com/nucleus/2016/12/12/21/43/charpy-vs-
izod-impact.
3. AZoM.com. (2018). Charpy Test - Determination of Impact Energy Using the Charpy
Test. [online] Available at: https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2763.
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