Airbus adopts innovative mechanical testing

Airbus is collaborating with technology provider Plastometrex to standardise an innovative mechanical testing technique.

The Cambridge-based company has developed profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP) to replace traditional tensile testing, as it is reportedly simpler and can be completed in a few minutes.

Plastometrex says it can test specimens directly and at a fine scale, allowing small or irregularly-shaped pieces to be tested.

PIP is also claimed to extract more data to understand material behaviour.

It uses the following example of fitting 160 PIP tests onto a standard ASTM E8 tensile coupon, unlocking information about material homogeneity that would be obscured by the single stress-strain curve obtained when tensile testing this part.

The partnership aims to accelerate Airbus' workflows and enable richer data to support innovation in aerospace engineering.