Impact testing is a mechanical test that determines metal toughness, or its ability to absorb energy and resist a sudden fracture from shock or impact loading. Simply put, testing allows us to predict how a material behaves under rapid or instantaneous loads and sudden force.

Key Features:

• Measures Toughness: The value provided indicates how much energy a material absorbs during fracture; toughness can be thought of as a measure of a material's resistance to fracture and its lack of brittleness.
• Common Testing Methods: The Charpy test and the Izod test are the two most common. Each of these tests uses a notched specimen that is struck by a pendulum hammer that has been swung.
• Critical for Safety-Critical Parts: Any materials selected for use in safety-critical parts should undergo impact testing in order to assess their capabilities prior to use in applications like bridges, vehicles, pipelines, and structural components.

Impact testing is important for all materials when determining the type of materials to use or an aspect of quality control, particularly for parts that may be susceptible to shocks or variable loading. For example, a component that has low impact toughness in cold temperatures may potentially fail in a brittle manner, meaning that for materials destined to perform in these environments, impact testing is critical for use in aerospace, automotive, construction, the energy sector, and similar relevant industries and applications. The data of impact testing is generally expressed in joules and allows us to evaluate whether a material can support the toughness required for its application.