The TC Industries Test Center provides mechanical testing services in support of the Mill Products Division and the Processed Steel Company.
Mechanical Testing
Tensile testing determines material properties such as yield strength, ultimate strength, percent elongation and reduction of area. A section is removed from the heat treated product and machined on CNC lathes to precise dimensions. The machined specimen is gripped at both ends in a tensile machine, which stretches the sample at a controlled rate until fracture occurs. The materials response to this force is precisely measured during testing.
Charpy impact testing measures the force needed to break precisely machined notched test specimens with a swinging pendulum. The resulting measurement is an indication of the impact toughness of the material being tested.
Capabilities
- A 400,000 pound capacity tensile machine for tensile testing in accordance with ASTM A370 and ASTM E8.
- A 400 ft-lb optically encoded Charpy impact tester for charpy impact testing in accordance with ASTM E23 and A370. Testing at temperatures down to -80 F is achieved with a liquid chiller.
- Two 2 Mazak CNC lathes with live tooling for preparing precise tensile and charpy impact test specimens to ASTM standards.
- Two band saws, two large wet abrasive saws and a laboratory metallographic saw are used for sectioning and preparing samples.
Hardness Testing
Hardness testing, which includes Brinell, Rockwell , and Leeb measures hardness by impressing an indentor into the surface of the material under a specified load.
- Brinell testing measures hardness by impressing a 10mm tungsten carbide ball into the surface of the material with a 3000kg load. The diameter of the impression is measured with a portable microscope and converted into a Brinell Hardness Number (HBW). Testing is in accordance with ASTM E10 and A370.
- Rockwell testing measures hardness by pressing either a 1/16" diameter steel ball or a diamond penetrator into the material surface. The Rockwell test measures the depth of the penetration and hardness is read directly on a dial or digital readout. Testing is conducted in accordance with ASTM E18 and A370.
- Leeb testing measures hardness by using a calibrated instrument that impacts a diamond tipped body (generated by a spring force) onto the surface of the material to be tested. Hardness is indicated on an electronic digital display. Testing is performed in accordance with ASTM A956, but is not included in our scope of accreditation.
Capabilities
- Two 4-post hydraulic Brinell machines can handle bars up to 12" diameter. Two C-type hydraulic Brinell machines are used for testing small sections and samples.
- A Versitron digital Rockwell hardness testing tester and a Wilson analog Rockwell hardness tester for testing to the B, C, 15T and 15N scales.
- Two 2 Mazak CNC lathes with live tooling for preparing precise tensile and charpy impact test specimens to ASTM standards.
- Portable Leeb hardness testers include machines from Equotip and Qualitest.