TPT May 2009

I nspection, M easuring, T esting & M arking

Better steels call for better testing

Imatek Ltd, UK, is a manufacturer of materials testing equipment used primarily in the fields of impact testing and polymer melt rheology. The company’s machines are used to test the properties of materials, components and assemblies within a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, and steel production. The use of higher grade steels in oil and gas pipeline construction is creating the need for a new generation of specialist impact testers. Imatek offers a range of drop weight tear testers (DWTT) for measuring the fracture characteristics of steel specimens according to API recommended practice 5L3, EN 10274,

ASTM-E 436 and ‘Pellini’. Steel grades of X120 and specimens of up to 50mm can be accommodated. A major feature of the Imatek range is the optional high-quality instrumentation and analysis software that provides information, both graphical and tabular, for the specimen failure. Whereas historically the DWTT test method has not required instrumentation, more recent research indicates that it is of significant benefit when testing tougher x-steels. Instrumentation enables crack initiation and, most importantly, propagation energies, for the specimen to be determined. This is considered a better measure of ‘in-use’

 Imatek’s drop weight tear tester

performance for these steels. Imatek also offers an integrated high-speed video option. Imatek’s integrated high-speed video system uses its C3008 data acquisition system to combine signals recorded during a test event together with high-speed video imagery, all under the control of the ImpAcqt software. Since the camera and the data acquisition share the same trigger, data points and images can be precisely correlated. A video sequence provides a great deal of qualitative information about the test event, and the software also allows quantitative information to be extracted. Integrated high-speed video offers an advantage in many application areas and is available as an option for any of the Imatek range of impact testers or in a stand-alone mode, making it a general purpose tool that can be utilised by other parts of a customer’s operation. The system is already proving useful in the testing of steel tensile specimens at high rate, enabling detailed analysis for the deformation of the specimen gauge length to be undertaken. Customers currently benefiting from Imatek’s products include Mittal Steel, Arcelor, Canadoil, Ruukki Steel, Posco

Installed by steel processors worldwide

tank heaters

external heating systems

Tank and vessel heaters for pickling

Specialists in heating & cooling systems and equipment for highly corrosive liquids…

Steel and Corus. Imatek Ltd – UK Fax : +44 1438 829054 Email : info@imatek.co.uk Website : www.imatek.co.uk

Liberta House · Sandhurst · Berkshire · GU47 8JR · England Telephone: +44 (0) 1252 876123 • Facsimile: +44 (0) 1252 875281 www. b r a u d e . c o . u k • s a l e s@b r a u d e . c o . u k

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M ay 2009

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