Methods for testing metals include shear, bend or flexure, impact, fracture toughness, fatigue, and torsion methods.
Some of the importance of testing metals includes:
Meeting requirements of regulatory agencies.
Selecting appropriate materials and treatments for an intended application.
Evaluating product design or improvement specifications.
Verifying a production process.
Some instruments used in metal testing are as follows:
Tension Strength Tester:
A tension strength tester is a device used to measure tensile strength. Tensile strength is the maximum amount of stress a material can withstand before it fractures. A tensile strength test is used to determine how a material will perform in a tension test.
Micro-hardness Tester:
A micro-hardness tester is a device used to determine the hardness of metals and alloys. It is typically used by manufacturers and quality control technicians to ensure that the materials they are using meet their specifications. The micro-hardness tester can be used on a wide range of materials, from plastics to metals, ceramics, and most other composites. It measures hardness through indentation testing using a highly accurate load cell that can measure force as small as 0.05N in weight up to 1000N (1kN). The instrument is also very portable and easy to use, designed with an intuitive interface that displays information on its LCD panel in real-time.
Coating Thickness Gauge:
One of the most useful tools for metal testing is a coating thickness gauge. A coating thickness gauge is exactly what it sounds like: a device that measures the thickness of a coating on metal and tells you how thick it is with high precision. While there are many different types of coatings and many materials that can be used as coatings, a typical coating thickness gauge will measure the thickness of non-magnetic metals (such as aluminum) coated on magnetic bases (such as iron or steel). These sorts of coatings are extremely common in the modern world, but they present unique challenges when you are trying to measure their physical characteristics.
Universal Testing Machines: Universal Testing Machines such as Electromechanical and Servo Hydraulic Universal Testing Machines can be configured for fixed testing of numerous properties such as tensile, compression, flexure, tearing, peeling, bending and shearing tests.