At TCR, we understand the critical importance of ensuring the durability, reliability, and safety of infrastructure components like gully and manhole tops, especially when constructed from advanced composite materials. Fatigue testing simulates real-world conditions and repetitive stresses that gully and manhole tops may experience over their operational lifetimes. By subjecting these components to fatigue testing, manufacturers and users can assess how well the materials and structures withstand cyclic loading without developing cracks or failures. This ensures the products' long-term reliability and helps in predicting their lifespan.
Gully and manhole tops are critical components of infrastructure, often subjected to heavy loads, traffic, and environmental stresses. Fatigue testing helps identify potential weaknesses or fatigue-related failure modes that could compromise structural integrity and safety over time. Addressing these issues early through testing minimizes the risk of sudden failures, ensuring safer operation and maintenance of infrastructure.
Gully and manhole tops are fatigue tested as complete units in their intended position of use where cover/grating is suitably positioned within the frame and the frame is supported in a manner to replicate intended installation support structure. TCR’s facilities and expertise thoroughly evaluates against the rigorous requirements outlined in BS EN 124-1 (for gully tops) and BS EN 124-5 (for manhole tops) with rectangular / circular / triangular as well as double or multiple triangular covers and/or gratings.
TCR’s testing protocols cover a comprehensive range of performance factors, including load-bearing capacity, impact resistance, chemical resistance, and fatigue durability. TCR's fracture mechanics department has specialized testing machine (complying to EN ISO 7500-1:2004) which includes a Servo Hydraulic Dynamic UTM machine which is capable of applying a load as recommended (at least 25 % greater) than the respective test load (FT) for classes A 15 to D 400 and (at least 10 % greater than) the respective test load (FT)for classes E 600 and F 900.
Conducting fatigue testing as part of quality control processes ensures that manufactured gully and manhole tops meet design specifications and performance expectations. It helps manufacturers identify potential design flaws, material weaknesses, or manufacturing defects that could lead to premature failures in the field, thereby improving overall product quality and customer satisfaction.
TCR also specializes in conducting both the Permanent Set Test and Load Bearing Capacity Test to evaluate material performance. The Permanent Set Test is undertaken to evaluate a material's resilience by measuring its ability to recover its original shape after being subjected to a specified load over a defined period. Additionally, TCR conducts the Load Bearing Capacity Test to determine the maximum load a material or structure can endure before failure. This test provides crucial insights into the strength and durability of metals, polymers, composites, and other materials, supporting informed engineering and design decisions with precise data.
Whether you're a manufacturer seeking compliance validation or Kitemark certification, or a specifier ensuring product suitability, our dedicated team of experts is here to support you every step of the way. By partnering with us, you can be confident that your composite gully and manhole tops will undergo detailed testing processes