A critical step in the manufacturing process, fatigue testing helps manufacturers better understand the capabilities of products before bringing them to market or having them specified into high value, critical-path applications. Automotive, aerospace and other sectors require components that function reliably in extreme temperatures, underscoring the need for manufacturers to subject parts and components to a range of fatigue testing prior to implementation.

By simulating the temperature conditions of a component’s operating environment, fatigue testing enables fabricators to test the materials and designs they plan to use without subjecting personnel or equipment to real-world risks. Extreme temperature fatigue testing encompasses a range of testing services, both for high-temperature and cold-temperature environments.

High-temperature fatigue testing subjects manufactured parts to temperatures as high as 1,800° F to assess Component failure is assessed with high-temperature and cryogenic testing. Source: IMR Test Labshow predicted mechanical properties withstand the stresses caused at such temperature levels. By examining the thermomechanical and thermodynamic characteristics of materials, fatigue testing enables manufacturers to produce the most durable parts with the longest possible service lives.

Aerospace materials, such as jet engine or rocket components, are key examples of parts that must be subjected to high-temperature fatigue testing. The components need to operate reliably in extremely high operating temperatures while performing a wide range of mechanical functions, such as managing, containing, and expelling heat. Other applications benefit from materials testing and analysis such as ceramics, polymers, metals, glass, and insulators used in automotive manufacturing, furnaces or kilns, glass manufacturing, military and defense equipment and power generation.

At the opposite end of the extreme temperature spectrum, cryogenic testing simulates extremely cold environments as low as -320° F and is specified for any materials that will be used in outer space applications. The evaluation involves enclosing a specimen in an insulated fixture attached to a fatigue testing frame and exposing it to liquid nitrogen to simulate operating temperatures. The analysis will determine how well the test material can tolerate cyclical stresses during prolonged exposure to extreme cold. Applications that benefit from cryogenic fatigue testing include radiofrequency low-noise amplifiers, superconductors, electrical components designated for deep-freeze or cryogenic use, satellites and jet engines, hydraulics and components for nuclear power cooling systems.