Impact test

A test which determines the energy required to break a test piece when it is struck suddenly.

The two most-common tests are the Charpy and the Izod tests. Both use a notched test piece of standard dimensions, which is struck by a pendulum.

Impact tests are carried out to determine the ductility of the material after heat treatment. In reality, the results obtained are very variable and they best serve to identify whether a material has a tendency to behave in a brittle manner when a notch is present.