This service is intended for:

  • Engineers
  • Machine designers (design offices)
  • Maintenance departments in the event of fatigue, mechanical problems or brittle fractures
  • Experts in the event of disputes
  • etc.

What you need to know

The proposed technique is used to measure local deformations and stresses in materials such as steel, aluminum, plastics, etc., under the influence of static or dynamic loads.
How does your structure (machine, crane, truck, subway, pipeline, etc.) behave under the influence of a static or dynamic load that is not always well known?
In terms of design and operation, our engineers carry out the following checks in the customer's laboratory or in situ:

  • Strength and stability checks
  • Verification of certain design assumptions based on design notes
  • Determination of actual loads on dynamically loaded structures in realistic situations (e.g. moving trucks)
  • Fatigue strength assessment, with life estimates for prototypes or residual life estimates for existing structures
  • Structural design
  • Overload tests
  • Verification of the safety status of overload tests
  • Control and protection during mechanical stress testing
  • Determining the theoretical service life of my new structure or the remaining service life of my existing structure
  • Monitoring during assembly of components such as cable ties, etc.

Strain gauges are used for structures, machines, vehicles such as railcars and subways, lifting accessories, etc. Vinçotte (a member of the Kiwa group) has the equipment, software and expertise to connect these strain gages to the measuring device.
Our experts carry out the measurements, analyze the results and help you make the necessary decisions to bring your structure back into compliance.

Advantages

You improve the safety of your constructions by knowing the material stresses under realistic conditions. Strain gage measurements take into account elements such as geometric deviations, forces or support conditions. Current calculation methods are generally highly sophisticated, but their application sometimes requires knowledge of parameters that are difficult or impossible to quantify. Increasingly, designers are succeeding in building lighter and lighter structures, but the risk of error can quickly tip the balance.