Latest News and Application Notes

Most fasteners are essentially springs, and when these fasteners fail it is usually abrupt, "out of nowhere," and caused by fatigue. Fatigue failure is estimated to account for 80-90% of all fastener breaks. However, by its very definition, fatigue damage happens over time, due to repeated loading that stresses an already weakened location. ASTM E1823-10a, Terminology Relating to Fatigue and Fracture Testing, defines fatigue as: "The process of progressive localized permanent structural change occurring in a material subjected to conditions that produce fluctuating stresses and strains at some point or points and that may culminate in cracks or complete fracture after a sufficient number of fluctuations." Preventing fatigue failure is a critical part of engineering designs.

Here in America, millions of families will be sitting down to a hearty Thanksgiving meal on November 24. While many minds are caught up with the necessary preparations for this dinner, few will be thinking of the metallurgical and elemental analysis preparation that went into crafting the very materials used to create Thanksgiving dinner. From the carving knife to the oven that roasted the turkey and most of the pots and pans in-between, chances are good that LECO has touched at least part of the preparations for your dinner.

Does automated hardness testing software really provide that much of an advantage over manual methods? LECO's Cornerstone-based AMH55 system takes the human variance out of the process, making it fast, precise, and accurate, but just how much variance is actually involved? LECO decided to put it to the test, pitting seven humans of varying metallographic experience against the AMH55.

LECO is heading back to the show floor!

Are you attending the Cast Expo in Columbus, Ohio, from April 23 to April 26? Stop by Booth #2016 to meet our instrument experts and get answers to your metallographic questions!

Heading to AIST in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from May 16 to May 19, instead? LECO will be at Booth #505!

What happens when you put two fantastic scientific minds together? Fantastic scientific breakthroughs! Dr Kim Marshall from LECO and Dr Arne Bengtson from Swerim, in Sweden, sat down with Andrew Storey, LECO Field Sales Specialist for Materials Analysis and Measured Science podcast host, to talk about their collaborative work with atomic spectroscopy and where this technology is going.

Fall is just around the corner, and here at LECO we're gearing up to take our instruments on the road. Check out the shows we're excited to be appearing at in-person this year and make your plans to come by for a visit!