TPT March 2011

I nspection , T esting & Q uality C ontrol

Better steels call for better testing method has not required instrumentation, more recent research indicates that it is of benefit when testing the tougher x-steels. Instrumentation enables crack initiation and, most importantly, propagation energies for the specimen to be determined, which is considered a better measure of ‘in-use’ performance for these steels.

IMATEK Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer of materials testing equipment used primarily in the fields of impact testing and polymer melt rheology. The company’s machines are used around the world to test the properties of materials, components and assemblies, and within a wide range of industries including aerospace, polymer processing, automotive, academic research and steel production. The use of higher grade steels in oil and gas pipeline construction is creating the need for a new generation of specialist impact testers. Imatek offers a range of drop weight tear testers (DWTT) for measuring the fracture characteristics of steel specimens according to API recommended practice 5L3, EN 10274 and ASTM-E 436. Steel grades of X120 and specimens of up to 50mm can be accommodated. A major feature of the Imatek range is the instrumentation and analysis software that provides high quality information, both graphical and tabular, for the specimen failure. Whereas historically the DWTT test

Integrated high speed video offers an advantage in many application areas and is available as an option for any of the Imatek range of impact testers or in a stand-alone mode, making it a general purpose tool that can be utilised by other parts of a user’s operation. The system is already proving useful in the testing of steel tensile specimens at high rate, enabling detailed analysis for the deformation of the specimen gauge length to be undertaken. Imatek Ltd – UK Fax: +44 1438 829054

Imatek also offers an integrated high speed video option that greatly enhances understanding of the behaviour of a specimen as it undergoes impact. Imatek’s integrated high speed video system uses its C3008 data acquisition system to combine signals recorded during a test event together with high speed video imagery, all under the control of the ImpAcqt software. Since the camera and the data acquisition share the same trigger, data points and images can be precisely correlated. A video sequence provides qualitative information about the test event, and the software also allows quantitative information to be extracted.

Email: info@imatek.co.uk Website: www.imatek.co.uk

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