High energy drop weight impact tester

The new equipment aims at expanding the testing capabilities of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, to cover drop weight impact testing of sustainable materials and components, non-existent to date.

Such tests are used for the assessment of material and component behaviour under extreme loading conditions. Assessment of energy absorption properties and damping at relatively high strain rates is essential for the practical application of innovative materials and components in both civil and mechanical engineering. This can include research on high/ultra-high-strength and highly ductile materials and components, steel and polymeric mechanical joints (welded, riveted, bonded), sustainable concrete materials, as well as the initiation of buckling, and failure of thin shells, among others. In conjunction with a high-speed camera and a digital image correlation system, drop weight tests can offer a detailed assessment of damage and propagation of fracture. Although the focus would on strain rates typical for impact loading, such tests can be used as a reference for seismic applications.