Lonestar has the capability to cater to the physical testing requirements of a wide range of materials and products. The testing capability and experience are recognized by reputed classification societies and third party inspection agencies such as Lloyds Register of Shipping (LRS), American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Bureau Veritas (BV), Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and Velosi TUV Bayern (TUV). Standardized methods, procedures, and testing equipment are utilized to determine the mechanical properties of materials.
Determining "how to weld" requires knowledge regarding the materials being welded and welding process, among numerous other factors. Because of huge number of variables involved, the knowledge of the welding engineer and the skill of the welder need to be validated by a series of tests. All this information is documented on Welding Procedure Specification (WPS), Procedure Qualification Record (PQR), Welder Qualification Test (WQT) and associated Test Reports.
Testing Protocols
Tests are generally carried out to international standards set by ASTM, BS, ASME, AWS, ISO and others. All test equipment are calibrated with traceability to NIST or DAC and UKAS accredited calibration laboratories. Lonestar material testing facilities are DAC or ENAS accredited to ISO 17025 standards for PQR & WQT testing procedures.
Lonestar has performed tests simultaneously incorporating Chemical Analysis, Hardness, Tensile Properties, Impact Properties, Macro/Micro Examinations on a wide array of products including raw plates, seamless pipe, weldments including: plates, pipes, joints, fabricated materials and structural components. The testing may be part of a Quality Assurance Program, Manufacturing Engineering Program, Failure Analysis or Materials Research and Development.
Lonestar Mechanical Testing capabilities include:
| Tensile Test | Hardness Test | PQR/WQT/Weld Consumable Test |
| Hot Tensile Test | Fillet Fracture Test | Peel Off Test |
| Compression Test | Nick Break Test | Pull Out Mock up Test |
| Bend Test | Proof Load Test | Weldability Test |
| Impact Test (+250°C to -196°C) | Flattening Test | Drift/Expansion Test |
| Macro Examination | Flaring Test | Shear Test on Clad Plates |
| Load Test |
The Mechanical/Material Testing Division is well equipped to determine the compliance of materials to applicable standards and specifications. Departmental personnel have extensive experience with test design and procedures as well as the interpretation of results. Our fully equipped machine shop allows us to produce the custom fixtures required for product testing.
The testing facilities at Lonestar houses two Instron UTMs with the Bluehill software, several charpy impact machines (Tinius Olsen, Instron and MFL) and various hardness testing machines (Rockwell, Brinell and Vickers).
For accurate and comprehensive analysis of elemental composition of samples, the Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES) is used for quantitative bulk analysis of most alloys and stainless steels. Lonestar provides comprehensive chemical analysis reports with results for most elements at ppb levels for clients, using various instrumentation techniques.