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Laboratory of Mechanical Testing

Head of Laboratory
dr. Borut Žužek
phone: 01/4701 855

General information:

Laboratory for mechanical testing (LMP) is qualified for mechanical and technological testing of metallic as well as non-metallic materials according to valid SIST, EN, DIN and ISO standards. Activities also include evaluation, expert validation and research of metallic materials and parts. Mechanical testing can also be accompanied by chemical and metallographic investigations.
 

Authorizations and Accreditations:

From 2008, LMP is accredited by SA according to SIST EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard as a testing laboratory with accreditation certificate LP-088 (link: annex to the accreditation certificate), for:
• Tensile test at room temperature, according to SIST EN ISO 6892-1 standard,
• Brinell hardness measurement, according to SIST EN ISO 6506-1 standard,
• Vickers hardness measurement, according to SIST EN ISO 6507-1 standard,
• Rockwell hardness measurement, according to SIST EN ISO 6508-1 standard, and
• Charpy pendulum impact test, according to ISO 148 standard.
In 1999, ministry for economic affairs and development of Republic of Slovenia authorized LMP as a certifier of chains and chain parts.

Laboratory activities

Tensile test

Tensile testing of materials with computer based acquisition of data in three measuring ranges (25kN, 250kN and 500kN), at room, elevated or subzero temperatures and with or without extensometer. Tensile test with extensometer can be performed up to 1050°C and without extensometer up to 1250°C.Compression test• Compression testing of up to 500kN load, with precise measurement of displacement.Dynamic testing• Laboratory performs dynamic testing in bending, tensile, compression or tensile-compression regime at loads up to 250 kN and frequencies of up to 80 Hz, with the testing being load, displacement or strain controlled. Testing includes:• Low and high cycle fatigue.• Determination of Woehler diagrams and S-N curves.

Bending test

• Tri-point and four-point bending testing of materials up to the load of 300 kN. Hardness measurement
• Brinell hardness (loads from 187,5 to 3000 kg, and balls with 10, 5 and 2.5 mm diameter)
• Rockwell hardness (HRC, HRB and other methods)
• Macro and MicroVickers hardness (loads from 10 g to 50 kg)
Toughness
• Instrumented Charpy pendulum impact test at room, elevated and subzero temperatures.
• Fracture toughness measurement of brittle materials, using circumferentially notched and fatigue pre-cracked KIc test specimens.
Creep resistance
• Investigation of creep mechanisms in metallic materials.
• Development of new testing methods for creep investigation
• Design and application of lifetime determination methods
• Creep testing in protective atmosphere of up to 800°C, being performed under constant load or constant stress
 

Equipment

• Universal testing machine INSTRON 1255, 500 kN, for tensile, compression and bending tests of up to 500kN load , and temperatures of up to 1250°C.

• Servohydraulic fatigue testing machine INSTRON 8802, 250 kN, for static and dynamic testing up to 25 or 250 kN, frequencies up to 80 Hz and temperatures up to 1250°C.

• Universal pulling and bending machine AMSLER, 300 kN, for bending testing at room temperature and loads of up to 300 kN.

• Instrumented CHARPY pendulum impact test, for impact toughness investigations at room, elevated and subzero temperatures

• RUMUL Cracktronic Resonant Fatigue Testing Machine, for dynamic bending load applications, with loading of up to 70 Nm, tension/ compression up to 8kN and frequency up to 180 Hz.

• Brinell hardness device (Wolpert Dia testor 3b)

• Rockwell hardness device (Rockwell 4JR ; Instron B2000)

• Vickers hardness device (Instron Tukon 2100B, from 10 g to 50 kg)
• Portable hardness measurement device Wilson Hardness M-295
• Two test stands for creep investigation at constant load and one at constant stress
• Small-Punch testing machine for creep investigation on small disc type sample
• Device for metal sheet testing according to ERICHSEN
• Sheets and wires bending test device
• Electronic equipment (sensors and acquisition device) for measuring rolling forces during cold and hot rolling of steel
• Electronic equipment for calibration of load cells up to 5000 kN (presses, dynamometers, pulling machines, etc.) composed of compensation amplifier DK 38 (Hottinger) and ten measuring cells with error of less than 0,05 %.
• Callibration plates for calibration of hardness measurement devices (Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers)

Other activities

• Fracture mechanics investigations
• Investigation of welds
• Determination of hardness depth distribution and thickness of carburized, carbonitrided and nitrided layers
• Bending test of steel sheets and wires
• Deep drawing ability of steel sheet according to Erichsen
• Calibration of load cells and hardness measurement devices
• Certification of chains, chain parts, screws, screw nuts and washers
• Wear testing of metallic materials and surface layers
• Expert validation of metallic materials and parts.