Tensile Testing Service – Accredited Mechanical Property Evaluation for Global Markets
Our internationally accredited laboratory delivers a comprehensive tensile testing service that provides manufacturers, metal stockholders, plastics converters, textile producers, composite fabricators and industrial designers worldwide with the independent, traceable data they need to verify the strength, ductility and stiffness of their materials and components. Every test is performed within the rigorous framework of ISO/IEC 17025, and each report bearing the ILAC mark is unconditionally accepted by regulatory authorities, notified bodies and supply‑chain partners in all major economies. The tensile test is the most fundamental mechanical test, applying a controlled uniaxial tension to a specimen until fracture, and it yields the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, percentage elongation after fracture, reduction of area and the full stress‑strain curve. For a steel mill certifying a coil of deep‑drawing sheet, an injection‑moulder verifying the elongation of a glass‑fibre‑reinforced thermoplastic, or a textile manufacturer confirming the breaking force of a woven fabric, this service delivers the legally robust, internationally accepted data that underpin material selection, quality assurance and compliance with the relevant ISO, ASTM, EN and customer‑specified standards.
Product Samples We Regularly Subject to Tensile Testing
Our electromechanical and servo‑hydraulic tensile testing machines accommodate specimens from fine wires to heavy‑section plates. The following categories represent the most frequently tested materials:
- Metallic materials – cold‑rolled and hot‑rolled steel sheet and plate, reinforcing bars, structural sections, aluminium and copper alloys, cast irons, titanium alloys, welded joints and brazed connections
- Plastics and polymer composites – unreinforced and glass‑fibre or carbon‑fibre reinforced thermoplastics, thermosetting resins, plastic films, pipes and injection‑moulded components
- Textiles, nonwovens and flexible materials – woven and knitted fabrics, coated fabrics, geotextiles, technical textiles, conveyor belts and elastomeric membranes
- Rubber and elastomers – natural rubber, silicone rubber, EPDM, nitrile and fluoroelastomer sheets, O‑rings and extruded profiles
- Paper, board and fibre‑based products – kraft paper, corrugated board, tissue, filter media and laminated paper‑plastic composites
- Thin films, foils and flexible laminates – metallic foils, polymer films, multilayer packaging laminates and battery separator films
- Adhesives, sealants and bonded joints – cured adhesive films, structural‑bond test coupons and peel‑test laminates
Metallic Materials – Tensile Testing According to ISO 6892‑1, ASTM E8 and Related Standards
- Determination of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation after fracture according to ČSN EN ISO 6892‑1 and ASTM E8: a proportional or fixed‑gauge‑length tensile specimen is machined from the sample and loaded to failure at a controlled strain rate. The 0.2 % proof strength, the upper and lower yield strengths, the ultimate tensile strength, the percentage elongation after fracture and the percentage reduction of area are reported. The full stress‑strain curve and the modulus of elasticity are provided. This tensile test is the primary material‑certification procedure for structural steels, pressure‑vessel plates and reinforcing bars, and it directly supports the issuing of inspection certificates according to EN 10204.
- Tensile testing of sheet metal according to ČSN EN ISO 6892‑1 Annex A and ASTM E646: flat specimens with a gauge length of 80 mm or 50 mm are tested to evaluate the strain‑hardening exponent (n‑value) and the plastic strain ratio (r‑value), which are critical for the prediction of the deep‑drawing and the stretch‑forming behaviour of automotive body panels.
- Hot‑tensile testing at elevated temperatures according to ISO 6892‑2: specimens are heated in a three‑zone furnace with an argon or vacuum atmosphere, and the yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength are determined at service temperatures up to 1 200 °C, providing the data required for the design of power‑plant components, turbine blades and pressure‑vessel steels.
- Tensile testing of reinforcing steel (rebar) according to ISO 15630‑1: full‑section bars are tested to verify the characteristic yield strength, the ratio of tensile strength to yield strength and the total elongation at maximum force, which are mandatory for the conformity assessment of the reinforcement for the concrete structures.
- Welded joint tensile tests according to ISO 4136 and ISO 6892‑1: transverse all‑weld‑metal and cross‑weld specimens are pulled to fracture to verify that the tensile strength of the welded joint meets the minimum specified value for the base metal and that the fracture occurs in the parent material when required.
Plastics and Polymers – Tensile Testing According to ISO 527, ASTM D638 and ASTM D882
- Determination of the tensile properties of unreinforced and reinforced plastics according to ISO 527‑1 and ASTM D638: dumbbell‑shaped specimens are injection‑moulded or cut from sheet and loaded at a constant test speed. The tensile strength at yield and at break, the nominal strain at break, the tensile modulus and the Poisson's ratio are reported. This tensile test distinguishes the ductile thermoplastics – such as polyethylene and polycarbonate – from the brittle grades, and the data are used by compounders and moulders to verify that the incoming resin meets the supplier's specification.
- Tensile testing of fibre‑reinforced composites according to ISO 527‑4 and ASTM D3039: specimens with a unidirectional or a multi‑directional lay‑up are tested, and the tensile strength, the modulus and the failure strain in the fibre direction and the transverse direction are reported. The data are essential for the validation of the laminate‑design models and for the certification of the composite structures for the aerospace, the automotive and the sporting‑goods sectors.
- Film and thin‑sheet tensile testing according to ASTM D882: for films with a thickness below 1 mm, a dedicated low‑force tensile tester with pneumatic grips and a high‑resolution extensometer measures the tensile strength, the elongation at break and the modulus, providing the data that the packaging converters need to guarantee the puncture resistance and the form‑fill‑seal performance of the plastic films.
- Elongation at break after environmental conditioning – heat ageing, UV exposure and chemical immersion: specimens are exposed to the relevant aggressive environment and then tested. The percentage retention of the original tensile strength and the elongation is reported, and the data are used to predict the service life of the plastic components in the outdoor, the under‑bonnet or the chemical‑plant applications.
Textiles, Fabrics and Flexible Materials – Tensile Testing According to ISO 13934‑1, ASTM D5034 and ISO 283
- Determination of the maximum force and the elongation at break of woven and knitted fabrics by the strip method according to ISO 13934‑1 and ASTM D5034: a 50 mm‑wide fabric strip is clamped in a constant‑rate‑of‑extension tensile tester with a gauge length of 200 mm, and the force and the elongation are recorded. The tensile strength in newtons, the elongation at the maximum force and the elongation at break are reported. The data are used by the garment manufacturers and the technical‑textile weavers to verify that the fabric meets the strength specification for the intended end‑use.
- Wide‑width tensile testing of geotextiles and geosynthetics according to ISO 10319: specimens of 200 mm width are tested, and the tensile strength and the strain at the maximum load are reported, providing the design parameters for the reinforced‑earth structures, the landfill liners and the erosion‑control mats.
- Tensile testing of conveyor belts, transmission belts and coated technical fabrics according to ISO 283 and ISO 9856: full‑thickness specimens are tested, and the tensile strength, the elongation at a reference load and the adhesion between the plies are measured, supporting the specification of the belt tension and the take‑up length in the conveyor installations.
- Tensile properties of nonwoven fabrics and filter media according to ISO 9073‑18 and ASTM D5035: the tensile strength and the elongation are measured in the machine direction and the cross direction, providing the quality‑control data that the hygiene‑product manufacturers and the filter converters use to guarantee the tensile integrity of the web during the converting and the use.
Elastomers and Rubber – Tensile Testing According to ISO 37 and ASTM D412
- Determination of the tensile stress‑strain properties of vulcanized and thermoplastic elastomers according to ISO 37 and ASTM D412: ring, dumbbell or strip specimens are stretched at a high elongation rate, and the tensile strength, the elongation at break, the stress at a given elongation and the modulus are reported. The test verifies that the rubber seals, the gaskets and the flexible hoses meet the elongation requirements specified for their function.
- Influence of the temperature, the ageing and the immersion in the fluids on the tensile strength of the elastomers: the specimen is aged in a hot‑air oven, immersed in an oil or a fuel, or exposed to the ozone before the tensile test. The retention of the tensile strength and the elongation is calculated, and the data are used to predict the service life of the rubber components in the automotive and the industrial environments.
Report Acceptance and Global Regulatory Compliance
All measurements performed within our tensile testing service are executed under the fully accredited scope of our ISO/IEC 17025 quality management system. Each test report that carries the ILAC mark is therefore automatically recognised by regulatory authorities, notified bodies, customs offices and supply‑chain partners in all major economies. For metal producers, plastics compounders, textile manufacturers, packaging converters and composite fabricators anywhere in the world, the report constitutes legally robust, internationally accepted evidence that the tensile strength, the elongation and the stiffness of the material have been determined in accordance with the applicable ISO, ASTM, EN and customer‑specified methods. The documentation can be directly used to support CE marking, the issue of inspection certificates according to EN 10204 or equivalent national standards, the compilation of technical files for type‑examination, and the resolution of commercial and technical disputes concerning the mechanical properties of any material.
