Test Laboratory
Professional Elastomer Testing • Test Equipment
The Test laboratory
Space and Premises
Our extensively equipped test laboratory takes up half of the Elastomer Institute’s total area, which is almost 600 sq. m. and is divided into 20 rooms.
Nine of the rooms are equipped for materials testing. Three analytical rooms are available for comprehensive analyses and another three are equipped with our calibrated heating furnaces. Two of the rooms alone are designated for sample and test preparation, and in another two, we archive the results of analyses and tests performed.
All media required for the extensive material tests are stored in our large media storage area. This is equipped with three ventilated and fireproof safety cabinets for particularly critical substances.
Test Equipment
With currently almost 590 testing and measuring devices, jigs, laboratory ovens, freezers and autoclaves, we are well equipped for material testing on polymer materials and components. Depending on the frequency and variety of the necessary tests, we have different and varying numbers of devices at our disposal:
Sample Preparation
We prepare our material specimens with 4 punching presses and cutting tools and 1 splitting machine
Analytical Testing Methods
We use the following test methods for profound analysis of the materials:
FTIR spectrometer (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer)
TGA equipment (thermogravimetric analysis)
DSC device (differential scanning calorimetry)
DMA device (dynamic mechanical analysis)
SEM/EDX (Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy)
GC/MS (gas chromatograph with mass spectrometry coupling)
Electrical Testing Methods
We use 4 different devices to test the electrical properties of elastomers. With these we have the possibility to determine the volume resistance and the surface resistance.
Testing of Environmental Stress
With 3 ozone test chambers, we prove sufficient ozone resistance and can also test the tightness via a differential pressure gauge.
Heat Furnaces and Conditioning
Over 100 defined heat sources are available for testing elastomers under the influence of temperature. These comprise air circulation and cellular furnaces, cycle and block furnaces, oil baths and magnetic stirrers.
Compression Set and Tension Set
Currently, 185 compression set plates and 40 tensile set test pins are in use in our laboratory for testing in air and in other media.
Optical Measuring Methods
10 optical inspection devices, including 2-D and 3-D measuring machines, digital microscopes, laser scanning micrometres and a stereo microscope enable optical examination of the components and photographic documentation of the analyses.
Mechanical Testing Methods
We determine the hardness of the materials on 7 devices. We are equipped with automated measuring devices for IRHD, Shore A/D and Micro-IRHD measurements and one microindentation device (LNP).
In addition, we use 3 multi-purpose testing machines for tensile, compression or bending tests, 1 rebound elasticity tester and 27 relaxation devices for compressive stress relaxation testing..
Cold Testing Methods
Special devices for compression set testing at low temperatures (down to -50°C), DSC analyser (down to -80°C), DMA analyser (down to -100°C), TR10 tester (down to -70°C) as well as 8 cold chests (up to max. -80°C) help us to evaluate the freezing behaviour of elastomers.
Extractors
A Gerhardt-Soxtherm extractor and the Soxhlet extaction help us to prepare the analyses. We recover the solvents by means of a rotary evaporator.
Immersion Tests
We can use well over a hundred autoclaves for the wide range of storage tests in refrigerants, oils, fuels and water-based media.