Test of the ability of a material to withstand impact, used by engineers to predict its behaviour under actual conditions.
Many materials fail suddenly under impact, at flaws, cracks, or notches. The most common impact tests use a swinging pendulum to strike a notched bar; heights before and after impact are used to compute the energy required to fracture the bar (see strength of materials ). In the Charpy test, the test piece is held horizontally between two vertical bars, much like the lintel over a door. In the Izod test, the specimen stands erect, like a fence post. See also testing machine .