Aluminum Alloy Testing

Element Materials Technology, the USA’s largest independent materials testing organization, has
aluminum testing expertise and experience to conduct many different tests and deliver
accurate, fast results on aluminum alloy products to ensure they meet your requirements.

Precision Machining

Element machine shop employees take special care in cutting samples to the correct orientation
and machining specimens to exact dimensions with no flaws since properties can vary in different
directions and invalid tests can result from poorly machined specimens. Element also uses
automated low stress polishers tailored for aluminum as well as specialized machines and skilled
machinists to put precise sized notches in fatigue and M(T) specimens.

Chemical Composition Analysis

Meeting specified composition helps ensure other material properties can be met. Our chemists
continually train in the most advanced techniques and use state-of-the-art instrumentation such as
inductively coupled plasma (ICP), optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and atomic absorption
(AA).

Corrosion Evaluation

Aluminum has high resistance to corrosion under the majority of service conditions. However, salt
water and other environments can cause corrosion. In fact, corrosion is the second leading cause
of all aerospace failures behind fatigue. Typical types of corrosion that plague aluminum alloys
are general, galvanic, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), exfoliation, pitting and intergranular (IGA).
Element conducts corrosion tests on aluminum to determine resistance to all these types of
corrosion.

Metallography and Failure Analysis

Element has Engaged Experts in aluminum metallurgy, metallography and failure analysis who
relate the microstructure of aluminum alloys to processes and properties and if needed provide
expert witness services. We use advanced instrumentation such as Struers automated met prep,
stereoscopic and optical microscopes, SEM, EDS and image analyses to determine things
as simple as grain size, porosity and eutectic melting or complex as root cause failure analysis on
aluminum alloy products, welds and brazes. Our metallurgists also provide defect analysis.

Mechanical Testing

Failure can be caused by pulling, bending, impacting, abrading, or compressing material. For
aluminum alloy products, Element routinely performs common (hardness, tensile, compression
and bending) as well as occasional, less commonly conducted (impact, abrasion, creep, stress
rupture) tests.

Fatigue Testing and Fracture Mechanics

Aircraft must endure thousands of hours of turbulence and high cycle fatigue (HCF), which is the
leading cause of aerospace failures. Fatigue causes crack initiation and fatigue crack propagation
(FCP) until unstable fracture, which is based on the fracture toughness (KIC) of the material.
Element continually invests in new machines and equipment to conduct HCF, FCP, KIC, KIV and
K-R curve (crack extension resistance vs crack extension) testing on aluminum alloys used in
fracture critical components using various temperatures, environments, specimen designs and
loading to ensure test specimens can endure a critical amount of cycling and crack growth before
failure.

Nondestructive Testing (NDT)

Element performs contact and submerged ultrasonic, dye and fluorescent penetrant and
radiographic testing on aluminum alloy products such as welds, sheet, plate, forgings, tube etc. to
find defects such as porosity, lack of penetration, inclusions, cracks, etc.

More Services

Element can fully heat treat your samples or take them out at different aging times and provide an
aging curve. We also perform electrical conductivity (EC) to verify proper heat treatment and
differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine reaction temperatures. Element has certified
welding inspectors (CWI) to inspect your aluminum welds and a welder qualification program for
your welders. We also test aluminum alloy fasteners and coatings on aluminum
alloy products.

Accredited Quality Support

Products are tested for requirements and research is conducted to meet customer demands and
develop more efficient products. Element is qualified to conduct a full range of tests on aluminum
products in accordance with nationally recognized and customer standards and specifications.
Element’s quality program meets ISO/IEC 17025 requirements for the competence of testing
laboratories. In addition, Element aluminum aerospace machining and testing is accredited by

Nadcap, which invokes stringent requirements for conducting procedure and process audits
utilizing subject experts.

Element is approved by all the major Aerospace manufacturers in addition to transportation

industries, such as car, rail, and marine.