Festigkeitslabor 2. Credit: DLR

When a ship plows through the waves, water hits her walls with a force of several thousand tons. How can the engineer anticipate this strain before construction? What has to be kept in mind and what is known about the strengths of the materials used? In the fatigue lab the behaviour of different kinds of materials is tested under pressure, tension and bending forces.

Two test stands are available for this. On a hydraulic test bench, metals can be deformed under high pressure and you can test how preloads such as cracks and holes change the strength. On a rod bending test system it becomes clear that slight changes in design can lead to a very different quality of stability.