Testing
Castle Metals is unique in its ability to offer broad metallurgical testing capabilities for bars and plates, in addition to metal distribution and processing. Castle does most of its processing in-house, however we have long established relationships with fully accredited labs to supplement our customers’ special requirements.
Specific testing capabilities in our toolbox include
Hardness testing.
Castle Metals is equipped with both Rockwell and Brinell indentation machines. Both Rockwell and Brinell tests are conducted using similar processes, however the results are interpreted by use of the Rockwell hardness number, HRA/HRB/HRC, or the Brinell hardness number, BHN.
Ultrasonic testing.
Ultrasonic metal testing, or UT testing, is a nondestructive test (NDT) which uses a straight beam to detect internal porosity and cracks. UT can also be performed via a shear wave to detect longitudinal surface cracks. UT tests can be completed in conformance with ASTM A578 and ASTM A435.
Eddy current (roto bar) testing.
Eddy current testing, or roto bar testing, is designed to detect seams and imperfections below the allowable limits set by ASTM standards. The rotating multiple test probes at speeds up to 6000 RPM around the bar. The material under test moves longitudinally through rotating probes creating a helical search pattern. As the probe passes over a defect, variations in the induced eddy-current pattern are produced, detected and indicated. Customers using quench and tempered products a lot of times also request eddy current tests.
Charpy impact testing.
Charpy impact tests, or Charpy V-notch test, is a standardized high strain-rate test which determines the amount of energy absorbed by metal during fracture. The absorbed energy is a measure of a steel's notch toughness and acts as a tool to study temperature-dependent ductile-brittle transition. Charpy is widely applied in industry, since it is easy to prepare and conduct and results can be obtained quickly and cheaply. Castle can test to either ASTM E23 or EN 10045-1.
Chemical composition tests.
Customers sometimes need material analysis for carbon, alloy and stainless steels. Castle has an optical emission spectrometer (OEM) to perform rapid simultaneous analysis of up to 18 elements. The high energy spark emits a spectrum of radiation with wavelengths converted to the elemental composition.
Microscopic analysis.
Microscopic analysis provides views magnified from 50 to 1000 times actual to determine the exact microstructure of the metal under review. Customers need this information either to ensure that materials are to specification or to do root cause, failure analysis stemming from inherent material flaws, such as seams, quench cracks, and inclusions.
Other NDT tests. Die penetrant and magnetic particle inspection are two other common NDT tests. Castle can provide this type of verification, available upon request.
