The Nuclear Research Institute of an EU member state has taken delivery of a fully automatic Vickers system from Indentec
The instrument will be used to test the hardness of radioactive materials in a 'hot cell'.
The system consists of a ZHV30 micro and macro Vickers hardness testing machine which has been designed to work inside the radioactive environment.
The tester has a high definition CCD camera for viewing the Vickers diamond indentation.
A PC with automatic measurement software is located outside the radioactive area and is used to control the functionality of the instrument.
The tester is fitted with a motorised X-Y table to allow remote control and positioning of the specimen.
An automatic focus option has been developed to ensure that the indentation is sharp when measured automatically by the software.
The big advantage of the system is that results are 100% independent of any operator influence.
Radioactive test specimens are positioned onto the test table by the operator using manual manipulators.
The advanced control software then automatically performs the setup, test and measurement processes.
All data is stored directly to the PC hard drive in user defined files, this ensures traceability and accountability.
The Institute use the data from the hardness test to assess the suitability of material for inclusion into nuclear power plants.
From the hardness value additional properties such as the ultimate tensile strength can be estimated.
As with all Vickers instruments from Indentec the system is compliant with the ISO 6507 and ASTM E92 hardness standards and manufactured under the control of a Ukas accredited ISO 17025 quality standard.
