Specimen Machining

The Process

Proper preparation is key to quality testing practices. The process begins with either rough cutting the sample on a saw or precision cutting using specialized cutting equipment. The sample will then be turned on a lathe, cut on a mill or both depending on what the final coupon shape dictates.

The LAB is equipped for sawing, milling, grinding, or turning any given test specimen. The methods used are determined by the size, shape, and features of the material sample as well as the particular testing specification. All specimen machining at the LAB is done to ASTM, MIL, or customer specifications.

Specimen Machining Services Defined

  • Tensile

    The LAB—Materials Testing performs tensile testing in accordance with industry standards. Tensile testing is one of the most essential types of material strength testing. It is a destructive test process that applies an ever-increasing load to a specimen past the yield, up to the point of failure. The test provides fundamental information on a specimen’s mechanical properties such as tensile strength, deformation, reduction of area, yield strength, strain hardening behavior, and elongation or ductility of a material.

  • Charpy V-Notch Impact

    Microhardness tests a material’s hardness in a similar way to Rockwell, but with a microscopic indentation. This test can provide a hardness value for a very precise location on a part enabling the detection of variations in hardness from one location to another. All tests offer different load options and many different scales between the three testing options.