(Laboratory Testing: Hatfield, PA) -- Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI) has added fracture toughness testing to the list of materials testing services performed by the laboratory to ensure the safety, reliability, and integrity of materials. The fracture toughness test is performed on a specimen with a preexisting crack to determine resistance to further crack extension. Fracture toughness testing measures the conditions under which an existing crack in a material will lengthen when under prescribed loading conditions. LTI performs fracture toughness tests to ASTM standards E399 and E1820. Fracture toughness is an important material property in design applications because flaws such as cracks, voids, inclusions, weld defects, and discontinuities cannot be completely avoided. The fracture toughness test is also valuable in determining whether there is a danger of failure when a flaw is discovered in an existing structure.

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