Instrumented Charpy Pendulum Impact Tester
Calibrated 300 J capacity pendulum with 2 mm radius striker tup and digital optical encoder.
Civil Engineering / Charpy Impact Toughness
FREE TO EXPLORELABORATORY 11 · CIVIL ENGINEERING
Charpy V-Notch Pendulum Impact Toughness & Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Temperature
Determine the impact absorbed energy (K_V) and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of structural bridge steel under high-strain-rate impact loading according to ASTM E23 / BS EN ISO 148-1. Explore interactive structural mechanics, materials simulation, and civil engineering telemetry.
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Your virtual civil engineering laboratory.
ABSORBED IMPACT ENERGY K_V—
CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE TELEMETRY
Ready to sample with Temperature = 10.0 °C.
Adjust Temperature, then execute civil engineering measurement.
Civil engineering telemetry is evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity structural mechanics and geotechnical continuum modeling.
Civil engineering assumptions and boundary condition limits
The civil engineering physical models apply within the specified calibrated operational window (-30.0 to 50.0 °C). ASTM A572 Grade 50 (345 MPa) structural steel. Linearized model over the transition zone relates absorbed energy K_V directly to temperature T with sensitivity 0.8500 J/°C and 0 °C intercept 65.0 J.
Laboratory apparatus & testing equipment.
Standard V-Notch Specimen Anvils & Shroud
Hardened tool steel support anvils spaced at 40.0 mm span with 1.0 mm radius corners.
Thermostatically Controlled Thermal Conditioning Bath
Liquid nitrogen / ethanol cryo-bath and heated bath maintaining -50 °C to +100 °C to ± 0.5 °C.
Precision Self-Centering Specimen Transfer Tongs
Specialized tongs transferring specimen from thermal bath to anvil in < 5 seconds per ASTM E23.
Optical Notch Profile Projector / Comparator
Verifies 45° ± 1° notch angle, 2.00 ± 0.05 mm notch depth, and 0.25 mm root radius.
Fracture Cleavage SEM / Optical Microscope
Examines percentage shear fracture lip area versus flat cleavage area on fracture faces.
FOLLOW THE METHOD
A reason behind every step.
Determine the impact absorbed energy (K_V) and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of structural bridge steel under high-strain-rate impact loading according to ASTM E23 / BS EN ISO 148-1. Standardized parameter settings: -30.0, -10.0, 10.0, 30.0, 50.0 °C.
01
Specimen Dimensional & Notch Verification
Inspect 10 x 10 x 55 mm steel specimens on the optical projector; verify notch depth (2.00 mm), notch radius (0.25 mm), and 45° angle.
02
Thermal Conditioning at Target Temperatures
Immerse specimens in the liquid bath at target temperatures (-30, -10, +10, +30, and +50 °C); condition for at least 10 minutes to achieve uniform core temperature.
03
Pendulum Initial Elevation & Zero Check
Latch pendulum hammer at standard initial angle (300 J potential energy); release with empty anvils to record zero-friction windage loss calibration.
04
Rapid Specimen Transfer & Centering
Using chilled tongs, remove specimen from bath and place on testing anvils centered with notch facing away from striker tup within strictly 5.0 seconds.
05
Pendulum Release & Impact Fracture
Immediately trip the pneumatic pendulum release latch; allow hammer to sever the specimen and swing through; engage automatic mechanical brake.
06
Energy Logging & Fracture Face Analysis
Read absorbed energy K_V in Joules from digital encoder; measure lateral expansion at notch root with micrometer gauge; determine percentage shear area.
YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS
Turn measurements into civil engineering insight.
Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Charpy Impact Toughness mathematical scaling.
LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
K_V = 0.8500 · T + 65.0000
| # | Specimen Temperature T (°C) | Absorbed Impact Energy K_V (J) | Test temperature T (°C) | Absorbed impact energy K_V (J) | Remove |
|---|
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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Explain what the civil engineering metrics mean.
The standard dimensions of a Charpy V-notch impact specimen (ASTM E23) are:
The orientation of the specimen notch relative to the swinging pendulum striker must be:
The maximum allowable time to transfer the specimen from conditioning bath to hammer release is:
A steel fracture surface exhibiting a bright, shiny, crystalline facet appearance indicates:
THEORY AND STRUCTURAL CONTEXT
Civil engineering background & physical principles.
Catastrophic brittle fractures of steel structures—such as the infamous WWII Liberty ship fractures and civil bridge collapses in sub-zero winter temperatures—revealed that static tensile yield strength is insufficient to guarantee structural safety under dynamic shock loading. Body-centered cubic (BCC) ferritic structural steels undergo a profound transformation from ductile, high-energy plastic tearing at warm temperatures to brittle, low-energy transgranular cleavage fracture at freezing temperatures. Standardized under ASTM E23 and ISO 148-1, the Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact test utilizes a standardized square specimen (10 x 10 x 55 mm) with a precision 45° V-notch machined to a depth of 2 mm and root radius of 0.25 mm. The specimen is supported as a simple beam and struck on the face opposite the notch by a calibrated heavy swinging pendulum with striking energy of 300 ± 10 J at impact velocity ~5.2 m/s. The energy absorbed in fracturing the specimen (K_V) is evaluated directly from the difference between pendulum initial release height and post-fracture follow-through height. In this laboratory, impact toughness is tested across temperatures from -30 °C to +50 °C to evaluate impact sensitivity and ensure compliance with AASHTO bridge fracture-critical specifications (minimum 27 J at -20 °C).
K_V = 0.8500 · T + 65.0000
ASTM A572 Grade 50 (345 MPa) structural steel. Linearized model over the transition zone relates absorbed energy K_V directly to temperature T with sensitivity 0.8500 J/°C and 0 °C intercept 65.0 J.