Consequently, Hydro has a team of competent researchers who have access to modern laboratory facilities that offer a wide range of material testing. Besides using our laboratory extensively in running product developments, we offer laboratory services to customers. Our most commonly used lab facilities are listed in the following:
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| Microstructure analysis |
Metallographic laboratory
• Preparation of samples of different materials (aluminium, steel, refractory, silicon and combined materials (steel/aluminium refractory)
• Video and general macro photography
• Optical microscopy
• Characterization of nitride layers
• Image analysis
• Stereo microscopy
• Etching, macro and micro of different material
• Micro hardness in bulk, across welds and coatings
• 3-D topography measurements
• Access to chemical bulk analysis (OES)
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| SEM analysis |
SEM laboratory
• General SEM wrt surfaces and sections
• EDS analysis, quantitative and qualitative
• WDS analysis, quantitative and qualitative
• Automatic image analysis with a combination of the above points
• EBSD on aluminium samples
• Fractography
• Coatings, conversion, organic and inorganic
• Refractory materials
• Asbestos in building, gaskets and insulators
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| SWAAT chambers |
Surface and corrosion laboratory
• Salt spray and cyclic corrosion testing.
• Internal corrosion testing
• Stress corrosion cracking test, SCC
• Continuous immersion tests
• Intergranular corrosion testing (IGC)
• Electrochemical corrosion testing
• Chemical testing of coatings
• Mechanical and physical testing of coatings
• Surface cleanliness - Smut testing
Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) laboratory
• Composition of surface layers
• Thickness of coatings
• Depth profiling – diffusion of elements
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| Lab furnaces |
Prototype brazing laboratory
• Brazing of different prototypes (controlled atmosphere batch, continuous radiation) for brazeability evaluation, braze alloy and coating development
• Prototype building of radiators for testing
• Building of equipment for lab and production testing
• Welding (TIG, MIG)
• Machining, turning and milling of parts for projects and lab needs.
• Casting of special alloys
• Assisting in production development (extrusion, strip casting, Zn-coating)
• Testing of refractory material (nozzles, prototyping for casting)
Material testing laboratory
• Tensile testing, also tailor-made for special applications
• Formability testing
• Hardness testing
• Electrical conductivity
• Expansion testing
• Heat treatment trials
• Hydrogen analysis in melt
• Hot wear testing
