CSIR Mechanical Testing Laboratory
Services offered
The Mechanical Testing Laboratory carries out a wide variety of mechanical tests in accordance with the SABS, BS and other international standards.The sophisticated testing facilities offered by the laboratory include:
- Tensile tests up to 15 MN
- Compression tests up to 10 MN
- Torque tests up to 30 kN.m
- Three-point bend tests up to 1,500 kN
The Laboratory also offers Proof Loading facilities, testing a variety of equipment and attachments, including:
- Lifting equipment: slings, hooks, spreader beams, lever hoists, chain hoists and air hoists
- Suspension attachments: safety detaching hooks, drawbars, shackles, links and tie-rods
Tests provided by the Mechanical Testing Laboratory include:
- Destruction tests to determine strength of lifting equipment, properties of steel bar stock etc,
- Comprehensive tests on lever, chain and air hoists in accordance with Anglo American specifications, and
- Load comparison tests on hydraulic jacks and load cells.
- Torque, fatigue hardness, impact and shear tests.
Equipment
The Laboratory is an advanced technology facility housing state of the art mechanical testing equipment. Equipment owned by the laboratory includes:
- An 8,899 kN Mohr Federhaff compression testing machine, a feature of which is the daylight opening of 4.5m, permitting the testing of full-scale mine support Systems such as packs and elongates.
- A 4,450 kN Mohr Federhaff tensile testing machine with a 25 m bed, permitting the testing of long test pieces including steel reinforced aluminium conductor, lifting tackle, webbing and steel bar stock in excess of 70 mm diameter.
- Three Amsler universal testing machines, with capacities of 100 kN, 500 kN and 1,000 kN.
Track record
A large number of customers, covering a wide range of sectors, use the services of the Mechanical Testing Laboratory on a repeat basis, because of the CSIRs
impartiality, professionalism and technical capability.Existing clients include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Metlab (Pty) Ltd
- Safe-T-Pack
- Rotek Engineering
- Spoornet Infra
- Yale Industrial Products
- Explochem (Pty) Ltd
- Anglogold Ashanti Ltd
- Duraset Grinaker-LTA Limited
- Wire Electric (Pty) Ltd
- Aveng group
- Alstom
- Power