Fracture Toughness & Fracture Mechanics Testing

A material’s fracture toughness refers to its ability to resist the growth or propagation of a pre-existing crack or flaw. Element offers fracture toughness testing to various international standards including ASTM E399, ASTM E1820 and DNV-RP-F108.

Fracture toughness testing is a mechanical test method used to determine the energy needed to initiate and cause failure within a material. It can also be used in conjunction with fatigue testing, corrosion testing and elevated temperatures to determine the useful life of the material under different conditions.

Our fracture toughness testing services

Using advanced techniques and equipment, our experts provide valuable insight into material performance, helping you make critical determinations about the safety, fitness, and longevity of metallic, nonmetallic and advanced materials. As a single source provider of fracture mechanics and mechanical testing, we can assist in creating a testing program that gives you confidence in your products and materials.

The Element advantage

Using advanced techniques and equipment, our Engaged Experts provide valuable insight into material performance, helping manufacturers make critical determinations about the safety, fitness and longevity of metallic, nonmetallic and advanced materials. As a single source provider of mechanical testing services, we can assist in creating a testing program that gives you confidence in your products and materials.

We perform fracture analysis for a wide range of industries, from Transportation, Aerospace, and Defense suppliers to Oil and Gas, Power Generation and Infrastructure.

For more information about fracture toughness testing, or to receive a quote, contact an expert today.

fracture toughness testing

Fracture Toughness Specimens and Test Methods

Manufactured materials are not immune to experiencing cracks, flaws or defects. Our Engaged Experts measure the fracture toughness of both nonferrous and high-strength ferrous materials to provide manufacturers with valuable insight into the allowable stress levels and overall durability of their product.

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More fracture mechanics testing services:

Fatigue testing
Corrosion fatigue testing
Tensile Testing
Charpy/Izod Impact Testing
Bend Testing
Shear Testing
SENT testing
SENB testing
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)
Torque Testing
Ring flattening/ Flatring testing
Nick break testing
Fillet fracture testing
Drop weight testing
Hardness testing
Compact tension (CT) testing
Centre cracked tension (CCT) testing
Surface cracked tension (SCT) testing

Fracture Toughness Testing

CTOD Testing

Crack Tip Opening Displacement, or CTOD, is a measure of the physical opening of the fatigue crack tip at the point of failure. CTOD testing measures the toughness of materials that tear before failure, and provides a single value at the first sign of instability.

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Fracture Toughness Testing

Testing K1C Value

The KIC test (sometimes referred to as KIC, or K1C) is used to determine the fracture toughness of metallic materials. This test is in direct contrast with Charpy Impact Toughness, which can only be used to compare the notch toughness of materials or determine a metal’s compliance with a specification. Most often associated with ASTM E399, the Linear-Elastic Plane Strain Fracture Toughness test (or KIc value) can be used as a direct measurement across a range of temperatures to determine design, life calculations and crack growth, or remaining life calculations.

Mechanical Testing Aerospace Product Lifecycle

Fracture Toughness testing

Testing J1C and JR Values

J-based fracture toughness testing measures the energy released during crack extension. This method is used to evaluate materials with high toughness and low strength measurements.

fracture toughness testing

T-notch Testing

Choosing the appropriate fracture toughness test method and standard is dependent on the behavior of material being evaluated. Metallic materials, like aluminum, present linear-elastic behavior. Whereas plastics, polymers and other non-metallic materials exhibit elastic-plastic behavior.

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Established industry standards recommend one of three modes of load application to accomplish crack growth or material failure.

Mode 1: load applied in the direction of crack plane
Mode 2: load applied along the length of the crack plane
Mode 3: load applied across the width of crack plane

fracture toughness testing

Fracture Mechanics Testing

Our Oil & Gas fracture toughness, ECA and FFS services evaluate the significance of flaws within pipelines by assessing cracking, weld defects, plastic collapse and fatigue growth under specified loading conditions throughout their design life.

Fracture Toughness Testing

Standards We Test To

American Petroleum Institute

API 1104, API RP 2Z

American Society for Testing & Methods

ASTM B645, ASTM B646, ASTM B909, ASTM D5045, ASTM D5528, ASTM D6671, ASTM D7905, ASTM E370, ASTM E399, ASTM E561, ASTM E1290, ASTM E1304, ASTM E1820, ASTM E1922

British Standards

BS 7448, BS 8571

Det Norske Veritas

DNV-OS-F101, DNV-RP-F108

International Standards Organization

ISO 12135, ISO 12737, ISO 15653

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Our deliverable is certainty - high quality data, test reports and certificates that you can absolutely rely on when making decisions about your materials and compliance. Engage with an expert today.

Our capabilities

Our Materials Testing Services

Abrasion and Wear Testing Aerospace Fasteners Aircraft Interiors Flammability Testing Chemical Analysis Chemical Processing Composite Testing Contamination Testing Corrosion Testing Die Steel Qualification Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Eddy Current Inspection Etching Expert Witness Services Failure Analysis Fastener Testing Fatigue Testing

FEA Foam Testing FTIR Fractography Services Fracture Toughness Fuels and Lubricants Testing Hardness Testing Impact Liquid Penetrant Inspection Magnetic Particle Material Properties Mechanical Testing Metallurgical Testing NDT Field Services Nondestructive Testing and Inspection Nonmetals Failure Analysis Nonmetal Mechanical Testing

Nonmetal Testing On-site metallographic examination Paint and Coating Material Testing Services Passivation Polymer Matrix Composite Testing Polymer Testing Services Positive Material Identification Radiographic Inspection Residual Stress Measurement Residue Analysis Sour Service Corrosion Testing Stress Rupture and Creep Testing Stress Strain Analysis Tensile Testing Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

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