Regarding fatigue and fracture mechanics we and our students deal with a variety of different topics. In this context, we include the following points to our range of services:

• Detail design
• New cutting and welding methods
• New materials
• Production and in-service influences on fatigue and fracture behaviour

Capabilities

1) Stress- and strain-based fatigue testing of base material and welded specimen

• Under tension-tension, tension-compression, and compression-compression loading
• Torsion loading
• At temperature ranging from -180°C to 600°C

2) Fatigue crack growth rate measurements

• Under tension-tension, tension-compression, and compression-compression loading
• At temperature ranging from -180°C to 600°C

3) Charpy impact and fracture toughness testing

• Charpy, CTOD, J-integral testing and determination of R-curves
• Under tensile, bending, shear and mixed-mode loading
• At temperature ranging from -150°C to 100°C
• By means of mechanical and 3D optical measurement systems

Equipment

Our laboratory is equipped with a number of various test machines and measurement devices.

• Fast dynamic resonance pulser (frequency ca. 30 Hz) with constant or variable loads of up to 200 kN / 600 kN as well as different stress ratios
• Uniaxial servo-hydraulic test facilities with individual adjustable loads of 25 kN to 1250 kN
• Testing under 3- or 4-point bending
• Cylinders in fixed frames for tensile, bending, shear, and mixed-mode loading
• Drop tower for impact testing
• Charpy impact testing equipment
• Laser sensors for weld geometry measurements etc.