Mechanical testing of metals, alloys and welded joints
Mechanical testing of metals, alloys and welded joints is an experimental access service for determining mechanical behaviour and performance of metallic materials, alloys, structural materials and welded samples under controlled loading conditions. The service is provided through IMP Core Facilities for Metal Physics and Nanomaterials and is linked to mechanical testing equipment such as the Instron 8802 testing machine. The service supports research tasks in metal physics, physical materials science, nanostructured and advanced metallic materials, deformation behaviour, strength assessment, comparative testing of material states, and evaluation of treatment or processing effects. Where suitable samples are provided, the service can also be used for mechanical characterization of welded joints, weld metal, base metal or heat-affected-zone-related specimens. The service is intended to provide experimental mechanical data for research, comparison of materials, validation of computational models, preparation of publications, and support of project deliverables.
What the user gets
The user receives an agreed mechanical testing dataset and, where requested, a short technical report. Depending on the test configuration and sample geometry, the output may include raw measurement files, processed curves, parameter tables, plots, test-condition metadata and a concise description of the observed mechanical behaviour.
Typical results may include force-displacement curves, stress-strain curves, tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, reduction of area, elastic modulus where applicable, deformation parameters, cyclic loading data, fracture-related observations and comparison between different materials, processing routes or sample conditions.
For welded samples, the output may include comparative mechanical behaviour of base metal, weld metal, heat-affected-zone specimens or whole-joint specimens, where the sample preparation and test geometry allow such separation. Results can be provided as raw data files, processed CSV/XLSX tables, graphical plots and a short PDF or editable report.
Service category: Experimental Access Service
Hosting partner: Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics
Related node / facility: IMP Core Facilities for Metal Physics and Nanomaterials
Resources used
Access modes
- Physical access
- Collaborative access
Typical data outputs
- Raw experimental data
- Processed experimental data
- Report
FAIR requirements
Each mechanical test should be accompanied by minimum metadata describing the sample, material system, test method, instrument, loading conditions and data output. The user should provide sample ID, material grade or chemical composition, sample type, sample geometry, processing history, heat treatment information where applicable, orientation, surface condition and any restrictions on handling, publication or reuse.
For welded samples, the user should additionally provide welding method, joint type, weld location, sample extraction scheme, and information about whether the test concerns base metal, weld metal, heat-affected zone or the whole joint.
The service provider should document the instrument used, test configuration, test date, responsible laboratory or operator, loading mode, test speed or loading rate, temperature conditions if applicable, measurement units, calibration or reference information where available, raw file formats and processing steps.
Where possible, data should be exported in reusable formats such as CSV, TXT or XLSX, together with plots in PDF, PNG or SVG format. Original instrument files should be preserved when they are needed for verification or reprocessing. For repository publication, the dataset should include clear file names, README documentation, method description, units, sample identifiers and sufficient metadata for future reuse.
User obligations
The user should provide a clear description of the research task and expected mechanical testing result before the work starts. The user should specify whether the main interest is strength, ductility, deformation behaviour, fracture behaviour, cyclic response, comparison of material states, validation of modelling results or evaluation of processing effects.
The user must provide properly labelled samples and technical information about material composition, grade, dimensions, sample orientation, processing history, heat treatment, surface condition and any known defects or special features. For welded samples, the user should indicate the welding process, joint type and the zone to be tested: base metal, weld metal, heat-affected zone or whole joint.
The measurement plan, number of samples, test method, loading mode, output format, deadlines, confidentiality conditions and acknowledgement rules should be agreed in advance with the facility. If the results are used in publications, theses, reports or project deliverables, the user should acknowledge IMP Core Facilities for Metal Physics and Nanomaterials and the specific equipment or service used.
The user should not treat the results as formal certification or conformity assessment unless this is explicitly included in the agreed scope of work. In the standard research-service mode, the facility provides experimental data and technical reporting, while final scientific or engineering conclusions remain the responsibility of the user or the joint research team.