Mechanical testing

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, 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

Hardness Testing

Vickers hardness test (HV), which has one of the widest scales

Brinell hardness test (HB)

Knoop hardness test (HK), for measurement over small areas

Janka hardness test, for wood

Meyer hardness test

Rockwell hardness test (HR), principally used in the USA

Shore durometer hardness, used for polymers

Barcol hardness test, for composite materials

Tensile testing, 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

Charpy test

Fracture toughness testing

Linear-elastic (KIc)

K–R curve

Elastic plastic (JIc, CTOD)

Creep Testing, for the mechanical behaviour of materials at high temperatures (relative to their
melting point)

Fatigue Testing, 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