Materials testing methods – destructive testing (DT)

Testing expertise for materials and components

Materials testing is a central part of materials engineering and quality assurance. It answers fundamental questions: Which material is present? What properties does it have? And is it suitable for its intended application?

Destructive materials testing (DT) determines the mechanical, physical and technological properties of materials and components. Samples or components are deliberately loaded, deformed or destroyed to examine their behaviour under defined conditions. Typical methods include tensile tests, hardness tests, Charpy impact tests and compression tests.

The aim of these tests is to establish reliable characteristic values that provide information about a material’s strength, ductility, toughness, hardness or deformation behaviour. The results form an important basis for design, manufacturing, material selection and quality assurance.

Destructive testing methods are used in almost every industrial sector, including the steel and metals industry, mechanical and plant engineering, and the automotive, energy and railway industries. Typical applications include incoming goods inspections, initial sample inspections, damage analyses, material approvals and production process monitoring.

As an accredited testing laboratory, we carry out a wide range of mechanical, technological and metallographic examinations. On the following pages, we introduce the individual testing methods and their applications in detail.