Material fatigue is the process where a material experiences progressive damage under repeated cyclic loading, even if the stress levels are below its static strength. Here’s a concise overview:
Material fatigue is caused by several factors, primarily related to cyclic loading. Here are the main causes of fatigue failure of materials:
Whether it's higher performance, lower weight, or an optimized manufacturing process, increasing product efficiency or durability starts with the selection of the appropriate materials.
From design data for FEA fatigue analysis to consistent material quality assurance, the HBK Advanced Materials Characterization & Test facility (AMCT) offers a large variety of services to assess these parameters and increase confidence in your design.
The choice of material plays a vital role across many industries, as manufacturers seek to reduce weight and cost of vehicles, machines, constructions and devices or consumer good in general.
As part of the structural integrity domain, the mechanical characteristics of new material components, such as metal, alloy, concrete, polymers, ceramic, moulded structural plastics or advanced composites, are essential to achieving optimal safety, durability, flexibility, strength-to-weight ratio, performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
Scientists and engineers in product design, simulation and testing rely on material properties such as stress, strain, tensile modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. Accurate material property data prevents failures in the field and anticipates issues before they arise.
Thus, material properties testing is a critical step in understanding how your material will perform under a wide variety of stresses. It is commonly performed by testing machines, that meet the many ISO and ASTM standards. However, adding additional sensors is highly recommended as it helps to get an even better and more precise understanding of structural characteristics.
Material testing breaks down into the task of finding the properties or characteristics in the fields of mechanical, thermal, electrical, corrosion, radiation, and biological deterioration.
The mechanical testing methods can be divided into destructive and non-destructive material testing:
A further classification of the test procedures is based on the type of load:
In a tensile test, the test coupon is pulled to its breaking point. Based on the material characteristics you get a true understanding of the material´s behaviour, how much energy it may absorb allowing you to predict the performance of the product in its real-life application. Some tests may also need to be performed in environmental chambers.
In material testing, highly accurate sensor data helps to get a better and more precise picture of material properties and gives you the extra plus of getting deeper test data. Integrating QuantumX allows overlaying additional sensor data sources and delivers precise and reliable results.
The integration of an HBK measurement chain into material testing systems such as MTS, Instron or ZwickRoell is easy. You can directly integrate the unit:
Parallel installation enables you to also get sensor data while the material testing machine is running. Measurements on various places on the coupon and on any material are possible. You receive precise data about the material´s behaviour according to loads, strain, temperature and whatever you want to measure.
Want to see an example? Zwick Roell integrated QuantumX and catman into their testing system. Read more
HBK also offers material testing as a service , delivering fully characterized and interpreted material parameters ready for use in mechanical FEA or CAE-based fatigue analysis using nCodeDesignLife .
When a material testing machine is calibrated, reference points of the measurement device are compared to a reference sensor calibrated to a known traceable standard laboratory. Many material test machine manufacturers around the world calibrate their sensors and machines in production and in service with the HBK reference measurement chain.
DMP41 and MGCplus have a strong place in laboratories worldwide including the PTB, NIST and other metrological institutes. The QuantumX MX238B is the perfect portable tool for calibration services at customer sites. All HBK devices can be traced back to DAkkS by our accredited lab in Darmstadt, Germany, guaranteeing that your calibration services are performed precisely and efficiently, with traceable results. Whether they are static or dynamic materials testing machines, HBK provides the perfect measurement solution.
Through mutual recognition of national accreditation bodies, we ensure worldwide validity of your calibration certificate and measurement results. The calibration procedures are determined by internationally recognized standards.
Calibrating the instrument itself can also be done. This ultimately certifies the overall accuracy and determines traceability of the measurements. Internationally recognized standards have been developed for calibration of crosshead speed and displacement (ASTM E2658 and E2309), strain and load rate (ASTM E2309), and measurement of tension, compression (ASTM E4), torque (ASTM E2624), and dynamic force (ASTM E467).
All in all, HBK offers the right tool set enabling a variety of calibration and maintenance services in a highly efficient and traceable way.
Whether it's higher performance, lower weight, or an optimized manufacturing process, increasing product efficiency or durability starts with the selection of the appropriate materials. Be it a newly developed alloy or a composite, only a deep insight into its key material parameters will allow you to feed simulation or build prototypes. From design data for FEA fatigue analysis to consistent material quality assurance, the HBK Advanced Materials Characterization & Test facility (AMCT) offers a large variety of services to assess these parameters and increase confidence in your design.
In material testing, accurate sensor data enhances understanding of material properties. Integrating QuantumX allows you to overlay additional sensor data sources, resulting in precise, reliable results.
The HBK measurement chain can be integrated into systems like MTS, Instron, or ZwickRoell:
Parallel installation provides sensor data during testing, offering insights into the material’s behaviour under various conditions.
Strain gauges are the key asset for measuring fatigue and testing materials for better and safer products. Whether it is in structural durability testing, structural health monitoring, or the production of OEM transducers, HBK's optical and electrical strain gauges are the first choice.
This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, MicroStrain and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.
