The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md., announces a new software package that allows analysis of instrumented Charpy tests, or Charpy tests augmented with strain gauges, in compliance with standards from ASTM and ISO. The NIST Instrumented Charpy Analysis Software, or NICAS, is available free of charge from NIST as part of the Charpy Machine Verification Program.
The NICAS software is provided free of charge in the form of compressed zip folders downloadable from the GitHub software development platform. The compressed folders must be downloaded and extracted before installation.
The Charpy Analyzer package contains open source LabVIEW virtual instruments, documentation, and sample data files that allow users to analyze their data in LabVIEW 16.0.1 or later. Executable files can be provided upon request. A comprehensive instruction manual (NIST IR 8302) guides the user through each step of the analysis. The NIST Charpy program both produces and certifies specimens for use with impact test machines, and works directly with over 1500 test labs per year to diagnose problems that may arise during verification testing.
A standard Charpy test consists of a pendulum dropping from a known height and striking a notched specimen. After the specimen fractures, the difference between the height to which the pendulum rises and its original height provides a measure of the energy absorbed in breaking the specimen.
