Chemical & Mechanical Material Identification & Hardness Testing

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you need to identify a material? Perhaps you find yourself in a dispute over materials used? Or perhaps you need to investigate whether a material truly conforms to a particular standard or specification?

In those situations, The Lab at Brookes Bell is in a position to provide the answers you require, with our industry-leading material identification services.

The Lab’s material analysis service can utilise a number of routes to identify the base composition and properties of materials. Normal routes of assessment include chemical analysis and mechanical testing.

We have a range of analysis techniques at our disposal, including high-accuracy laboratory methods and portable in-situ techniques that help us identify the exact chemical composition of materials, and make them identifiable.

Our material identification techniques include:

ICP-OES - inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy
EDX - energy dispersive x-ray
LIBS - laser-induced breakdown spectrometry
PMI-OES - positive material identification – spark - optical emission spectrometry

And when you need to conduct hardness or tensile testing, The Lab is on hand to test any metallic objects and components either at our laboratory or where necessary on your site.

Our hardness testing techniques include:

Leeb d rebound hardness test (LRHT)
Ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI)
Vickers hardness indentation

In-situ material analysis

We understand that it’s not always possible to transport samples or destroy component materials, so The Lab has invested in the latest portable testing equipment, so that our experts can come to you to carry out material analysis.

These assessments can either form part of a failure investigation, or part of the normal manufacturing quality assurance process.

Our portable chemical analysis equipment consists of:

LIBS - laser-induced breakdown spectrometry
PMI-OES - positive material identification – spark - optical emission spectrometry

Our portable mechanical testing equipment includes:

Leeb d rebound hardness test (LRHT)
Ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI)

Material investigation equipment rental

Do you need to investigate a material yourself, but don’t want to go to the hassle or expense of purchasing the necessary equipment?

Then you can rent it from The Lab instead.

All of our material investigation equipment is available under a series of different rental agreements. What’s more, The Lab can provide training so that you and your team are able to utilise the equipment to the fullest extent.

Find out more about The Lab’s material identification services now.