The materials testing laboratory at ifw Jena mainly tests metallic components and samples. One method of materials testing is the tensile and compression test, in which a material is pulled or compressed until it is destroyed. These tests are important in order to obtain information about the load-bearing capacity of a material or a weld seam. For example, the effects of defects can be investigated or it can be determined whether a material is suitable for certain requirements.
During the Long Night of Science, we place footballs in our tensile machines to test together with you how much pressure a ball can withstand until it bursts. We test a new ball every full hour - you and your children can be there when we determine how strong a soccer really is in a practical pressure test.
