Shimadzu Journal Vol. 02 - Material Science

Significance of the Topic

The precise characterization of material properties under realistic service conditions is essential for ensuring safety, performance and cost-effectiveness in industries such as aerospace, automotive and energy. Advances in fatigue testing, microscale material analysis and large-scale structural evaluation enable engineers to predict lifetimes, optimize designs and comply with stringent regulatory and safety requirements.

Objectives and Study Overview

This issue of the Shimadzu Journal presents three core contributions:

• An industry-academia collaboration with Professor Frank Walther at TU Dortmund University to develop advanced fatigue testing protocols and build a state-of-the-art materials testing laboratory.
• A material science investigation into the quasistatic deformation behavior of hygroscopic vulcanized fiber, examining the effects of deformation speed and relative humidity.
• An upgrade of JAXA’s composite testing capabilities through the installation of a 10 MN Shimadzu fatigue testing machine to support large-scale aerospace structural evaluations.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Prof. Walther’s team applied destructive and non-destructive techniques (static/fatigue testing, micro-magnetic and ultrasonic fatigue systems, ultra-micro hardness testing, SEM/EDX, finite element analysis) to characterize structure-property relationships and develop the RAPID fatigue identification method.
• The vulcanized fiber study used an electromechanical universal tester (Shimadzu AGS-X), video extensometer (TRViewX), infrared thermography (IR8800), high-speed camera (Hyper Vision II), ultra-micro hardness tester (DUH-211/S) and controlled-climate chambers across strain rates (1–1 000 mm/min) and humidities (25–90 %).
• JAXA installed a Shimadzu Servopulser 10 MN fatigue testing machine (EHF-UV8MN-830) providing ± 10 MN static and ± 8 MN fatigue capacity, with a 3 m×3 m effective workspace, enabling compression and fatigue testing of large composite panels and rocket shells.
• Additional analytical platforms featured include Nexera-i and Prominence-i HPLCs, GCMS-TQ8040 triple quadrupole MS, SEC-AccuSpot-AXIMA MALDI-TOFMS, EDX-8000 XRF, and SWP-CVD encapsulation systems.

Main Results and Discussion

• The TU Dortmund collaboration resulted in the laboratory expansion across Europe and Russia, validation of Shimadzu hardware/software quality and launch of the RAPID fatigue method, which derives full Woehler curves from minimal tests.
• Vulcanized fiber tests showed Young’s modulus and tensile strength increased with strain rate while maximum elongation decreased; higher humidity reduced stiffness/strength and increased ductility. Thermography and high-speed imaging identified heat absorption in elastic stages, exothermic transitions and crack initiation within 0.3 milliseconds.
• The 10 MN tester at JAXA enabled accurate static and fatigue evaluation of a 2.5 m diameter composite cylinder, predicted delamination loads within 1 % of finite element analysis, and supports future tests on aircraft and rocket structures.

Benefits and Practical Applications of the Method

• RAPID fatigue identification cuts testing time and cost while maintaining statistical confidence for aerospace and automotive components.
• Climate-controlled mechanical profiling of natural composites expands design data for safety-critical parts subject to environmental variations.
• Large-scale fatigue testing capacity bridges the gap between coupon-level studies and full-scale component validation, shortening product development cycles.
• Enhanced HPLC and GCMS workflows, together with automated MALDI-TOFMS, accelerate R&D and QA/QC in polymers, batteries and environmental analytics.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Emerging directions include Very-High-Cycle Fatigue (VHCF) testing, on-line coupling of chromatographic separations with MALDI-TOFMS for complex polymer mixtures, expanded use of ecoanalytics in water and air monitoring, and increased deployment of remote-enabled instrument networks for global method transfer and collaborative data analysis.

Conclusion

The integration of high-capacity mechanical testers, microscale characterization tools and automated analytical platforms exemplifies Shimadzu’s vision of “Excellence in Science.” These developments deliver robust, efficient and scalable material property data, meeting the demands of next-generation aerospace, automotive and environmental applications.

Instrumentation

• Shimadzu AGS-X/AG-X Autograph and Servopulser EHF fatigue testing machines
• Micro-Magnetic (MMT) & Ultrasonic Fatigue (USF) systems
• Ultra-Micro Hardness Tester DUH-211/S, SEM, EDX
• Video Extensometer TRViewX, Infrared Thermography IR8800
• High-Speed Camera Hyper Vision II
• Shimadzu Servopulser 10 MN EHF-UV8MN-830
• Nexera-i & Prominence-i HPLCs, GCMS-TQ8040 triple quadrupole
• SEC-AccuSpot-AXIMA for automated MALDI-TOFMS
• EDX-8000 XRF, SWP-CVD systems

References

• Walther F. Microstructure-oriented fatigue assessment… MP Materials Testing 56(7-8) (2014) 519-527.
• Wycisk E. et al. High Cycle Fatigue of Ti-6Al-4V by SLM. Adv. Mater. Res. 816-817 (2013) 134-139.
• Klein M. et al. Corrosion influence on fatigue in magnesium alloys. Mat. Sci. Eng. A 585 (2013) 430-438.
• Frieling G., Walther F. Tensile and fatigue of FBG sensors. Sensors & Transducers 154(7) (2013) 143-148.
• Walther F., Eifler D. Cyclic deformation in steels and light alloys. Mat. Sci. Eng. A 468-470 (2007) 259-266.