ISO 19819 is an ISO tensile testing standard focused on metallic materials tested while fully immersed in liquid helium (about 4.2 K / −269 °C). It is used when room-temperature or liquid-nitrogen testing is not sufficient to characterize performance at extreme cryogenic temperatures.
This document has been withdrawn by ISO and was revised by ISO 6892-4. If you need help aligning your test request, equipment setup, and reporting to the correct cited edition, talk with our team.
ISO 19819:2004 — Metallic materials — Tensile testing in liquid helium
ISO 19819:2004 describes a method for tensile testing of metallic materials in liquid helium and the tensile properties that can be determined from that test environment.
Because liquid-helium testing introduces severe thermal, instrumentation, and handling constraints, this standard is most often referenced in cryogenic engineering programs where data at ~4 K is required (for example, superconducting magnet structures and other helium-cooled assemblies).
Quick Definition
ISO 19819 is a cryogenic tensile testing method for metals, performed with the test piece submerged in liquid helium to evaluate tensile behavior at approximately 4.2 K (−269 °C).
What This Standard Covers
ISO 19819:2004 focuses on how to run a tensile test when the specimen is tested in liquid helium, including the practical considerations that come with extreme cryogenic temperature testing.
The standard also notes that tensile testing at other cryogenic temperatures (below −196 °C / 77 K) can require special apparatus, smaller specimens, and added attention to effects such as serrated yielding, adiabatic heating, and strain-rate sensitivity.
Why This Standard Matters in Testing
Mechanical behavior can change significantly at very low temperature. For some metallic systems, the combination of higher strength, reduced ductility, and altered deformation behavior at cryogenic temperatures is a design-limiting factor.
ISO 19819 is cited when test programs need comparable tensile results from a controlled liquid-helium environment, rather than approximating behavior using higher-temperature cryogenic tests.
Common Materials, Product Types, or Applications Covered
This standard applies to metallic materials where tensile properties are required at liquid-helium temperature. In practice, it is most common in applications where components operate in helium-cooled cryostats.
Common use cases: Cryogenic structural metals and alloys used near superconducting systems, helium-cooled research hardware, and other 4 K cryogenic assemblies.
Common Test or Verification Workflow
Liquid-helium tensile testing generally follows a controlled sequence to ensure the specimen reaches and maintains the required cryogenic condition while the tensile measurement system remains stable.
Typical workflow elements: Prepare a metallic tensile specimen; mount the specimen in a cryogenic tensile setup; instrument for load and strain measurement appropriate for cryogenic service; cool and stabilize the specimen in liquid helium; perform the tensile test and record the stress–strain response; report tensile results in the format required by the purchasing, qualification, or R&D program.
Equipment Commonly Used for This Standard
ISO 19819 influences equipment selection primarily through the requirement to test while the specimen is submerged in liquid helium and the need to control measurement error sources that become more severe at very low temperature.
Common equipment families: Servo-hydraulic or electromechanical universal testing machines sized for the required loads; a liquid-helium cryostat or immersion system integrated with the load train; cryogenic-rated grips/fixtures designed to minimize heat leak and maintain alignment; strain measurement suitable for cryogenic service (cryogenic extensometry or validated non-contact strain measurement); calibrated load measurement and data acquisition; temperature measurement and control hardware appropriate for liquid-helium environments.
Quoting caution: Cryogenic tensile capability is usually defined as a complete system (machine + cryostat + fixturing + strain measurement + controls). Small differences in specimen geometry, alignment needs, and strain measurement requirements can drive major configuration changes.
How to Read This Designation or Revision
Standard number: ISO 19819
Edition covered here: ISO 19819:2004 (Edition 1)
Status: Withdrawn by ISO (withdrawal date shown on the ISO record). It was revised by ISO 6892-4.
Practical implication: If a contract or drawing cites ISO 19819, confirm whether the buyer expects strict use of the withdrawn 2004 document or acceptance of the successor method in ISO 6892-4, since equipment setup and reporting expectations can depend on the exact referenced edition.
Related Standards, Methods, or Frameworks
Liquid-helium tensile testing is now commonly referenced under the ISO 6892 tensile testing series, which includes dedicated parts for different temperature regimes.
Often paired references: ISO 6892-1 (ambient temperature tensile testing) and ISO 6892-3 (low-temperature tensile testing) may be used alongside liquid-helium testing when a program requires results across a temperature range.
Get help specifying a liquid-helium tensile test setup
If you are building a 4 K tensile testing capability or comparing cryostat and extensometry options, you can request a detailed quote for a system matched to your specimen geometry, load range, and measurement needs.