Everyone assumes that the surrounding infrastructure and the objects in daily use will perform as expected. Every day we leave our homes and hop in a vehicle and go down the road without a second thought. We sit on furniture inside buildings with overhead lighting hung from the ceiling and sip our beverages from disposable containers without considering the possibility of product failures. Imagine if the materials the designers and engineers specified did not perform as they expected. What if the roadway concrete did not have the expected compressive strength? What if car frames had fatigue failures like a coat hanger that is repeatedly bent back and forth? What if the plastic material used to manufacture furniture aged and became brittle? The materials in our everyday lives are selected because of specific properties.

New materials, new alloys, new plastic formulations, new additives, and new applications of old materials require that the materials be tested. Testing a sample is often key to knowing if or how an item may fail. The material properties as determined by standard test protocols are valuable information. The internet has increased our expectations of immediate information and the material testing world is no different. With global markets requiring results faster and faster in order to be more competitive, the testing equipment manufacturers have automated many of the procedures. The manual data recording, graphing and number crunching by engineers are gone forever.

Mr. Robert Luttrell, PE, C.W.I. Vice President, Applied Technical Services, Inc. will address the 6:00 PM, Monday, June 8th monthly dinner meeting of Georgia Society of Professional Engineers at the Piccadilly Cafeteria, Northlake. He will present on Knowing What Is; Materials Testing Technology. Mr. Luttrell said “Material tests have become more efficient and the quality has increased with greater consistency of results due to the automation of equipment.” The discussion will cover destructive and nondestructive tests performed on materials and how the equipment has changed over the years. Engineering curriculums cover materials testing, but many engineers need a refresher. Currently registered professional engineers, those engineers aspiring to become PEs, and others engaged in engineering would benefit from the presentation. Members of the general public are also welcomed to learn about technology, engineering and public welfare.

Mr. Robert Luttrell, PE, C.W.I. - Robert has been involved with testing of materials since 1991. He works for an independent test laboratory as an Engineer, Consulting Engineering Manager and Vice President. He has performed and reviewed numerous destructive and nondestructive tests for material quality, properties and performance. He is a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Welding Inspector.