We do this with different aims and for different market parties, such as energy companies, water companies, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and insurance companies.

Chemical and Physical Analyses

  • FTIR spectroscopy (with more than 200,000 reference spectra) and ATR, Diffusion reflection, Pyrolysis-FTIR
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Extraction and identification of additives
  • Determination of resistance against hydrolysis of acetals(e.g. polyxymethylene, POM), nylons, polyesters etc.
  • Permeation of gases and moisture through pipe walls, components and fittings
  • Differential Scanning Calometry (DSC)
  • Thermic Stability (Oxidative Induction Time, OIT)
  • Thermogravimetric analysis or thermo balance (TGA)
  • Viscosity and porosity
  • Melt Flow Rate (MFR)
  • Density
  • Corrosion analysis, for example:
    • Stress corrosion
    • Pitting corrosion
    • Galvanic corrosion
    • Erosion corrosion.

Mechanical Tests

  • Tensile tests, also at elevated temperatures up to 150 °C and also on complete pipes and connectors made of plastic or metal (steel, cast iron, copper etc.)
  • Constant-load tests (relaxation) and creep tests on pipe segments at elevated temperature to determine the residual lifetime of polymers
  • Testing of the resistance against slow crack growth in polymers, such as polyethylene (PE) and polyamide (PA):
    • Strain Hardening test (SHT)
    • Cracked Round Bar Test (CRB)
    • (Accelerated) Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT and AFNCT)
    • Pennsylvania Notch Test (PENT)
    • Constant Load (CL)
    • (Accelerated) Notch pipe test (NPT and ANPT)
    • Cone test
  • Internal water pressure tests and burst pressure tests (up to 95 °C)
  • Drop, impact, tensile impact and bending tests, for example on polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
  • Stress corrosion tests
  • Peel tests and Slow Peel Tests (SPT) on plastic electrofusion welds
  • Tests on butt welds in plastic pipelines
  • Integrity tests on district heating pipelines.

Microscopy

  • (Stereo) light microscopy
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy (REM) with EDX analysis (X-ray Micro-Analysis)
  • Microstructure determination (also in the field with non-destructive replicas)
  • Picture analysis
  • Fracture surface research.