Charpy and Izod Pendulum Impact Testers

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Charpy and Izod Pendulum Impact Testers
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A Charpy or Izod test answers one question quickly: how much energy does a notched specimen absorb when it is struck at speed. A pendulum swings from a known height, breaks the specimen at the bottom of its arc, and the energy lost from the swing is the result. A Charpy specimen is supported at both ends like a simple beam, while an Izod specimen is clamped upright as a cantilever. Metals are tested to ASTM E23 and ISO 148, with a standard specimen measuring 55 by 10 by 10 millimeters, and results are usually compared across test temperatures to see where a steel turns from tough to brittle.

NextGen pendulum testers for metals come in 450 J and 750 J frames, with a fully enclosed test area, a cast iron base and a motor-driven pendulum that returns automatically. Options add a computer for semi-automatic operation, automatic specimen feeding, cooling for tests down to -180°C and instrumented pendulums that record force as well as energy. A lower-energy automatic tester covers Charpy, Izod and tensile impact on plastics and rubber. Machines are installed and verified on site, operators are trained, and support continues for the life of the equipment. New to the method? Read what the Charpy and Izod impact tests involve.

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What a Pendulum Impact Test Measures

A pendulum impact test breaks a notched specimen with a single blow and reports the energy it absorbed. The notch concentrates stress, so the result shows how the material behaves under a sudden load in the presence of a stress raiser, which a tensile test cannot show. Charpy values are used for material qualification, weld procedure work, heat treatment verification and lot-to-lot comparison, and they are most informative when the test is repeated at several temperatures to find the brittle-to-ductile transition.

Standards for Charpy and Izod Testing

ASTM E23 covers both Charpy and Izod notched-bar testing of metals and also sets machine requirements and verification of Charpy machines. ISO 148-1 defines the Charpy pendulum test with V-notch and U-notch specimens. EN 10045 is the older European designation for Charpy testing, and in several national adoptions it was replaced by EN ISO 148-1. GB/T 229 is the Chinese national method. For instrumented testing, ASTM E2298 applies. Plastics use ISO 179 and ISO 180 for Charpy and Izod, ASTM D256 for Izod and ASTM D6110 for notched Charpy specimens.

What Affects Pendulum Results

Notch quality, specimen temperature, striker and support geometry, and machine verification all move the result. The metals frames use a 40 mm support span, a 1 mm support radius and a striking edge of 2 mm, and the striker can be exchanged to meet ISO or ASTM requirements; the Class H also offers an 8 mm edge. A heavy cast iron base keeps vibration out of the reading, and the pendulum energy should suit the toughest material you expect to break, because a pendulum near its limit loses accuracy.

Pendulum Impact Testers from NextGen

The Class D is a single-column Charpy tester at 450 J or 750 J, with optional automatic feeding, cooling and a robotic cell. The Class G runs Charpy and Izod at the same two capacities and, like the Class D, offers a specimen collection and filtering device. The Class H is a dual-column frame with a 750 J peak capacity, an adjustable striking angle and an instrumented version with a force transducer. The Class J is an automatic tester for plastics and rubber from 1 J to 50 J. All are supplied with installation, calibration and training.

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Impact testing is one station of a metals quality control laboratory. NextGen equips the rest of it too, from notching and specimen preparation to tensile testing, hardness and metallography, and stays responsible for it after delivery.

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Products

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Most requested Class D – Single-Column Charpy Impact Tester Impact testing Class D – Single-Column Charpy Impact Tester Class D is a single-column Charpy impact tester for high-energy pendulum testing of metallic specimens up to 750 J. View product Get quote Most requested Class G – Single-Column Charpy and Izod Impact Tester Impact testing Class G – Single-Column Charpy and Izod Impact Tester Class G is a single-column Charpy and Izod impact tester for high-precision pendulum testing of metals and… View product Get quote Class H – Dual-Column Charpy Impact Tester 750 J Impact testing Class H – Dual-Column Charpy Impact Tester Class H is a servo-motor dual-column Charpy impact tester for high-volume metal impact testing of hard materials. View product Get quote Most requested Class J – Automatic Charpy and Izod Impact Tester Impact testing Class J – Automatic Charpy and Izod Impact Tester Class J is an automatic Charpy and Izod impact testing system for low-energy impact evaluation of plastics and… View product Get quote

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FAQs

Use the Class J for plastics and rubber. It runs Charpy from 1 J to 50 J and Izod from 1 J to 22 J, plus tensile impact from 7.5 J to 25 J for film and sheet, with the pendulum changed to switch tests. The Class D, G and H frames are built for metals at higher energies, working to ASTM E23 and ISO 148.

Choose by the toughest material you expect to break, not the one you test most often, because a pendulum working near its limit loses accuracy. The 450 J frame is commonly used in schools, government facilities and R&D laboratories. The 750 J frame is typical in steel production, heat treating and aerospace, and optional lighter pendulums are available on both frames. Send us your material and standard for a recommendation.

The Class D, G and H frames are each offered in three build levels. The -2 build is the mechanical machine with PLC control and touchscreen. The -3 build adds GenTest software and an RS232 connection to a computer, and on the Class D also the pendulum motor. The -4 build adds the instrumented pendulum, with a force transducer that records the force-time curve and gives access to more test parameters in the software.

The Class D, G and H frames take 55 x 10 x 10 mm Charpy specimens, along with 7.5 mm and 5 mm thick variants. The support span is 40 mm, the supports have a 1 mm radius and the striking edge is 2 mm at a striking angle of 150°. The Class H adds an 8 mm striking edge and an adjustable angle, and the striker can be exchanged for ISO or ASTM requirements.

The Class G is described for both Charpy and Izod testing to ASTM E23, ISO 148 and EN 10045. The Class D and the Class H are described as Charpy testers, so the Class G is the one to specify if your method includes Izod on metals. For Izod on plastics and rubber, NextGen offers the separate Class J tester.