Strain Hardening Test Kiwa Technology

Strain Hardening Test for PE 100 RC: rapid insight into SCG resistance

With the publication of CEN/TS 12201-7, the conformity assessment of PE pipes for water supply now also contains PE 100-RC. For PE 100 RC the Cracked Round Bar (CRB) Test, the Strain Hardening Test (SHT), the accelerated Full Notch Creep Test (aFNCT) and the accelerated Notched Pipe Test (aNPT) form part of the mandatory test program to assess the resistance to Slow Crack Growth (SCG). Together, these tests determine if the material may be called PE 100-RC.

Within this test package, the Strain Hardening Test is the fastest method. Whereas the other tests may take weeks or months, the SHT delivers results within a few days. This makes the test particularly suitable for batch release testing (BRT). In addition, the SHT is the only test used to determine whether fittings and valves are actually manufactured from PE 100-RC.

In the video below, we present the execution of the Strain Hardening Test step by step. It provides concrete insight into the test setup and the way in which material properties are assessed in the context of conformity and quality assurance.

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Download our leaflet ‘Fast Tests for Slow Cracks’
Also see

Polyethylene under stress: Unique slow-motion footage of a CRB test

Ever seen a Cracked Round Bar (CRB) test? In this video, we showcase in slow motion how a polyethylene test specimen fails under cyclic loading. The CRB test is specifically designed to simulate the slow crack growth (SCG) process in polyethylene (PE) and delivers faster results than traditional methods such as PENT and FNCT.

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