• Charpy impact testing is a destructive test, in which a specimen is struck with a pendulum to fracture it, and determine the amount of energy the material has absorbed.​

• This energy is a measure of the material's notch toughness, which can be used to study the temperature transition between brittle and ductile specimens.​

• Lateral expansion and percentage shear can also be carried out in correspondence with a charpy impact test.

Lateral Expansion

• Lateral expansion is a measure of the ductility of the impact specimen.

• When a ductile material is impact tested, it will deform before breaking to create shear lips.

• The amount that the specimen deforms normally to the fracture face is measured in millimetres with a digital test indicator.

​Percentage Shear

• Percentage shear measures the amount of ductile and brittle fracture on the fracture face of the broken specimen.

• The fracture surface is indicative of the type of fracture that has occurred.

• A brittle fracture looks bright and crystalline; whereas, ductile fractures have a dark and fibrous surface.​

ASAMS is accredited to ISO 148 and ASTM E23 impact testing. Our charpy impact machines have a 450J capacity. A charpy cool bath is used to allow testing at temperatures between ambient and -80°C, the bath continually agitates the solution and keeps the temperature within ±1°C. ASAMS is also able to test down to -123°C and at -196°C using liquid Nitrogen, allowing coverage of a range of needs for clients.

A charpy impact test being carried out in accordance with ISO 148.