An impact test is used frequently in many industries to test the performance of a material in response to a certain load that causes it to abruptly break, fracture or distort completely. To do this test the specimen is placed inside a dynamic chamber with the correct geometry and orientation established for the kind of test being used and then the force causing the sample to respond is measured and recorded. This measurement can be either tensile or compressive. The purpose of an impact test is to determine if a material's properties change due to load variation and/or the application. Typically, materials are tested at different temperatures and different kinds of stresses.

It is common for an impact test to incorporate a swinging pendulum or some other type of swinging device. In general, swing testing has two separate objectives. One objective is determining if a material is deformed at different rates regardless of the direction it swings. The other objective is determining whether any single property is deformed more than the others.
When testing for weakness or structural support, several factors need to be considered. All of these factors must be addressed in order to determine the effects of stress on a material's ability to withstand the force. Some of the common effects of stress on materials include crack formation, fatigue cracking, elongation, toughness or fraying, creep, and buckling. The nature of the test must also be taken into consideration. For instance, the impact testing of an aircraft wing does not include swinging pendulum or any other kind of impact testing device because the test does not include swinging motions.

Several different types of impact tests are commonly conducted, including: I-gage test, charpy v-notch test, and polyester fiber core hardness test. An I-gage test is often utilized to identify the hardness of a roof surface. This test can be used in conjunction with other tests, such as a structural analysis to determine the stresses in a structure. A charpy v-notch test is often utilized in conjunction with a structural analysis to determine stresses in a solid alloy.

A charpy v-notch test or an I-gage test is usually performed on structures made from cast iron or steel. Structures that are constructed from concrete are usually subjected to polyester fiber core hardness testing. A notched bar impact testing machine is also used for the detection of stress changes inside structures made from steel or iron.

I-gage test equipment involves a rotating cylinder and a number of parallel notches along the circumference. When the notches are hit by a trolley loaded with powdered measuring material, the height of the cylinder will be recorded. The length of the Notched bar is used in the charpy impact test and a marking tool is usually used to note the distance between the notches. This meter can be calibrated using common magnesium oxide or stainless steel weights.

A swinging pendulum is another type of dynamic measurement instrument that helps in identifying stress changes in materials. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as the impact of a vehicle passing over it, or weighing a car along with its suspension system. By using a measuring device and a swinging pendulum, you can get a clear idea of the weight distribution in a structure. A charpy impact test helps to identify areas where there might be a crack development or failure, and this in turn can be helpful for making structural changes to avoid future cracks.

A brittle transition occurs when the temperature change or stress develops in a ductile material, without developing any deformation. When brittle materials undergo rapid temperature change, they develop cracks. The brittle transition is a complicated problem in itself, and the brittle ductile transition tends to be neglected in tests for strength. As mentioned earlier, this can be an indicator of stress corrosion cracking or fatigue crack cracking. Another form of brittle transition occurs at higher temperatures, when the ductile crystal lattice structures of materials to develop a small amount of eddy current.