Charpy Impact Testing Lab Report
Name: Khoa Luong
Course: MATE 1104 LABORATORY
Group Number: X03
Instructor: Wanda Griesheimer
Due Date: February 12, 2025
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this experiment is to help students understand the strength of materials. It will also
help determine the effect of temperature on the toughness of materials. Lastly, it will help
students estimate the energy needed to break a material when it is being impacted suddenly.
PROCEDURE
In this study, the samples were conditioned with a mixture of alcohol and dry ice. A gradient of
temperature ranging from -50 °C to -70 °C was needed before they underwent impact testing.
Upon reaching the required temperature, making sure that the temperature was kept steady was
necessary and hence continuous stirring with ice was implemented. Before the specimens could
be impacted, the hammer of the tester would be inspected. It was important to set the hammer
into the safe position so that the energy indicator can be reset. The sample must then be placed
carefully; the notch must fit exactly with the hammer and with the platform. Meanwhile, the
testing had to be done within 5-10 s per sample to ensure that no warming occurred. The hammer
could then be released to fall and strike the sample, imparting a known amount of energy into it.
Then, it would be stopped from swinging and set back into place in readiness for the next
specimen. The broken specimen was then scrutinized for its physical properties, establishing the
phase at which ductility versus brittleness was mentioned.
MATERIALS
- Charpy v-notch test specimens
- Charpy Impact Tester
- Beakers of alcohol
- Tongs
- Dry ice
Table 1: Charpy Impact Results
Fracture Appearance
Actual Fracture Energy
Temperature (ft-lbs)
(℃) % Brittle % Ductile
Test 1 Test 2 Test 1 Test 2 Test 1 Test 2
+ 20
123 127 0 0 100 100
0
121 126 0 0 100 100
-10
103 109 10 5 90 85
-20
110 95 10 20 90 80
-30
44 72 70 40 30 60
-40
63 61 60 75 40 25
-50
70 29 50 90 50 10
-60
30 12 90 100 10 0
-70
28 24 100 100 0 0
-80
5 5 100 100 0 0
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Temperature transition is very important in the design criteria of pressure vessels and structural
components because you can easily determine the temperature at which the material will fail.
When you see the temperature drop below the brittle zone, the container or part will bend due to
the pressure. This is important in engineering because it prevents failures and creates a safer
environment.
The effect of carbon is to increase the temperature transition and increase the strength and
hardness of the material. On the other hand, this also reduces the fracture energy of the top plate.
For nickel, this element is added during the steelmaking process to increase its ductility and is
very effective at low temperatures. It also has the effect of reducing the temperature at which the
steel becomes brittle, meaning that this process is widely used for containers or components that
will be used at low temperatures as the steel is less likely to break when cold.
For anisotropy, the grains must be in the same direction as the rolling or parallel to the casting.
This direction exhibits higher impact energy during the ductile to brittle transition. This
essentially means that it will absorb more energy before breaking than perpendicular grains.
The martensitic quenching process makes the martensitic harder and stronger. Through the
heating process, the carbon in the martensitic is aggregated and creates a more stable structure.
