Accredited Test Laboratoy

The test laboratory of the Fraunhofer IGP is closely involved in the ongoing research projects by the faculties of the Institute. Test functions from the business sector are also handled here. In order to meet the high quality requirements from research and business, the test laboratory is accredited in accordance to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 by the German accreditation body DAkkS.

Since the founding of the test laboratory, extensive knowhow has been built up in the fields of experimental studies into materials, fasteners, joints and coating systems. The main focus of the work is not only on accredited tests, but also on standardised and non-standardised tests and component testing. The focus in these areas lies on the high standards of quality and the reproducibility of the tests. In addition, further standardised processes are being continuously added to the portfolio. The testing services offered by the laboratory include mechanical and technological tests, leak testing, corrosion tests, chemical and physical tests and surface characterisations. The laboratories have a broad machine park available for these applications. The testing portfolio is constantly being expanded and currently comprises the following tests:

Mechanical-technical testing
Tensile tests
Fatigue tests
3 and 4-point bending tests
Mechanically-joined connections: Friction coefficient, transverse longitudinal tensile capacity, tightening, torque and pre-loading force behaviour, vibration resistance
Adhesives joints, single- and multi-shear connections,
caterpillar peeling tests
Notched bar impact tests
Vickers hardness testing

Leak testing by means of the helium leak test
Container and tank tests
Leak detection
Testing of joints

Corrosion testing
Vehicle painting (VDA)
Coating systems for steel structures (ISO 12944-6, ISO 20340)
Corrosion tests in artificial atmosphere
Outdoor weathering of coatings

Chemical-physical testing
Calcination of FRP composites
Spark discharge spectrometry of metals
Determination of the hydrogen content in arc welded material

In addition to the broad range of testing services offered, the institute also has a metallography laboratory. Here we employ two material tester who are responsible for the preparation and conduction of various test procedures and for the analysis mand documentation.
The tests in the test laboratory department are conducted by a competent team of engineers and technicians with many years of experience in the development and configuration of measuring and testing apparatus. The main focuses of the work extend from the development and performance of the tests through to their evaluation.

Machines
Universal testing machines: Tensile / compressive tests up to 1000 kN, -80…250 °C
Dynamic testing machines up to 1000 kN
High-frequency pulsators up to 100 kN
Drop weight tester up to 90 kN
Torque test bench up to 500 Nm
Vickers hardness testing machine up to HV30
Roughness measuring machine down to 300 μm
Coat thickness measuring machine down to 3000 μm