DIN EN ISO 26203-2 specifies requirements for tensile testing of metallic materials at high strain rates using servo-hydraulic and other applicable test systems.
This standard is used when quasi-static tensile methods are not suitable and you need stress–strain data at controlled higher deformation rates for design, simulation, or validation. If you are unsure whether Part 2 fits your target strain-rate range or your material/product form, you can talk with our team about aligning your test plan and equipment configuration.
DIN EN ISO 26203-2: Metallic materials — Tensile testing at high strain rates — Part 2: Servo-hydraulic and other test systems
DIN EN ISO 26203-2 is the German adoption of EN ISO 26203-2, which is based on ISO 26203-2. It focuses on how to run and control high strain-rate tensile tests using servo-hydraulic-type systems (unless otherwise specified) and other systems that can meet the measurement and control requirements.
The standard is primarily used to generate tensile property data at defined strain rates for metallic materials when loading-rate sensitivity matters.
Quick Definition
DIN EN ISO 26203-2 defines requirements for high strain-rate tensile testing of metallic materials using servo-hydraulic and other suitable test systems, covering a strain-rate application range from 10-2 s-1 to 103 s-1, with tests carried out between 10 °C and 35 °C unless otherwise specified.
What This Standard Covers
This document sets out requirements for conducting tensile tests at elevated strain rates on metallic materials using test systems capable of achieving and measuring the intended strain-rate conditions.
Examples in the standard are given for flat specimen geometries, while allowing that other specimen geometries can also be tested.
Key boundaries (high level): Strain-rate range from 10-2 s-1 to 103 s-1; testing temperature between 10 °C and 35 °C unless otherwise specified; servo-hydraulic-type systems are the typical setup unless otherwise specified.
Why This Standard Matters in Testing
Many metals show strain-rate sensitivity, meaning tensile response can change when the deformation rate increases. DIN EN ISO 26203-2 provides a standards-based way to generate more comparable high-rate stress–strain results by controlling the test setup and measurement approach appropriate to faster events.
For labs, this typically affects equipment selection and configuration (actuator capability, control strategy, and measurement bandwidth) as much as it affects the basic tensile test concept.
Common Materials, Product Types, or Applications Covered
This standard is used for metallic materials when tensile behavior is needed at higher strain rates than conventional room-temperature tensile testing methods typically address.
Common product forms: Flat test pieces are the most commonly illustrated approach, which aligns well with metallic sheet and plate-style specimen preparation, while other geometries may be used when appropriate to the application.
Common Test or Verification Workflow
High strain-rate tensile testing under DIN EN ISO 26203-2 is commonly used to produce stress–strain curves at a specified (plastic) strain-rate condition for engineering use.
Common workflow (typical): Define target strain rate within the standard’s range, prepare an appropriate tensile specimen geometry, configure a servo-hydraulic (or other suitable) system to achieve the required loading profile, capture force and strain with sufficiently fast measurement and data acquisition, and report results tied to the test rate and conditions.
Practical caution: At high rates, signal timing, measurement bandwidth, and alignment can strongly influence data quality; equipment configuration and instrumentation selection should be treated as part of the method, not an afterthought.
Equipment Commonly Used for This Standard
DIN EN ISO 26203-2 is most often associated with servo-hydraulic high-speed tensile testing systems, but it also allows other test systems if they can meet the required test and measurement performance.
Common equipment elements: Servo-hydraulic test frame/actuator (or equivalent high-rate system), appropriate tensile grips/fixtures for dynamic loading, a force transducer suitable for dynamic measurement, and strain measurement plus high-speed data acquisition sized for the event duration and rate.
Selection focus: Matching actuator performance and control to the target strain-rate range, and ensuring the measurement chain (force/strain/DAQ) has adequate dynamic response for reliable stress–strain output.
How to Read This Designation or Revision
DIN EN ISO indicates a German (DIN) adoption of a European (EN) adoption of an ISO standard.
26203-2 is Part 2 of the ISO 26203 series, covering servo-hydraulic and other test systems (as opposed to other parts that address different high-rate test system types).
Edition sensitivity: Always quote to the exact dated edition cited by your customer or internal procedure (for example, DIN EN ISO 26203-2:2012-01 is the DIN edition aligned to EN ISO 26203-2:2011 / ISO 26203-2:2011).
Related Standards, Methods, or Frameworks
DIN EN ISO 26203-2 is one part of the ISO 26203 high strain-rate tensile testing family. Other parts may apply if your strain-rate target or test-system concept differs.
High strain-rate tensile testing is also commonly considered alongside conventional tensile standards for baseline properties, but edition matching and applicability should be defined by your test specification or customer requirement.
Get help configuring a high strain-rate tensile test setup
If you are selecting a servo-hydraulic high-speed tensile system or upgrading sensors and data acquisition for high strain-rate work, you can request a detailed quote for a configuration matched to your target strain-rate range and specimen type.