INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 148-3
Third edition
2016-10-15

Metallic materials — Charpy

pendulum impact test —
Part 3:
Preparation and characterization of
Charpy V-notch test pieces for indirect
verification o f pendulum impact
machines
Matériaux métalliques — Essai de flexion par choc sur éprouvette
Charpy —
Partie 3: Préparation et caractérisation des éprouvettes Charpy
à entaille en V pour la vérification indirecte des machines d’essai
mouton-pendule

Reference number
ISO 148-3:2016(E)

© ISO 2016
ISO 148-3:2016(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT

© ISO 2016, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part o f this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country o f
the requester.
ISO copyright o ffice
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org

ii © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Contents Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 .1 D efinitio ns p ertaining to the machine ................................................................................................................................ 1
3 .2 D efinitio ns p ertaining to energy .............................................................................................................................................. 2
3 .3 D efinitio ns related to gro up s o f .................................................................................................................... 2
tes t p ieces

3 .4 D efinitio ns p ertaining to tes t p ieces .................................................................................................................................... 2

4 Symbols and abbreviated terms ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
5 Reference testing machine ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1 Characteristics ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1.2 Geometrical characteristics (see Table 2 and Figures 1 and 2) ............................................... 5
5 .1 .3 ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
C ap acity

5.1.4 Hardness ................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

5.1.5 Vibration ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
5 .1 .6 E nergy- indicating mechanis m ............................................................................................................................. 6
5 .2 f f
Verificatio n o re erence tes ting machine ........................................................................................................................ 6
6 Reference test pieces ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
6.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
6.2 Material ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
6.3 Dimensions ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
6.4 Marking ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
6.5 Qualificatio n o f f f
a b atch o re erence tes t p ieces ......................................................................................................... 7
6.6 Reference test piece sets ................................................................................................................................................................. 8
7 Certificates for re ference test pieces ............................................................................................................................................... 8
8 Notes for using sets of reference test pieces ............................................................................................................................ 8
Annex A (informative) Uncertainty o f the certified KV value of Charpy reference materials ................ 11
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved iii

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work o f preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters o f
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
di fferent types o f ISO documents should be noted. This document was dra fted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some o f the elements o f this document may be the subject o f
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identi fying any or all such patent rights. Details o f
any patent rights identified during the development o f the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is in formation given for the convenience o f users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning o f ISO specific terms and expressions related to con formity assessment,
as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 164, Mechanical testing ofmetals, Subcommittee
SC 4, Toughness testing — Fracture (F), Pendulum (P), Tear (T).
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 148-3:2008), which has been technically
revised.
ISO 148 consists of the following parts, under the general title Metallic materials — Charpy pendulum
impact test:
— Part 1: Test method
— Part 2: Verification of testing machines
— Part 3: Preparation and characterization of Charpy V-notch test pieces for indirect verification of
pendulum impact machines

iv © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3 : 2 016(E)

Introduction

The suitability o f a pendulum impact testing machine for acceptance testing o f metallic materials has
usually been based on a calibration o f its scale and verification o f compliance with specified dimensions,
such as the shape and spacing o f the anvils supporting the test piece. The scale calibration is commonly
verified by measuring the mass o f the pendulum and its elevation at various scale readings. This
procedure for evaluation o f machines had the distinct advantage o f requiring only measurements
o f quantities that could be traced to national standards. The objective nature o f these traceable
measurements minimized the necessity for arbitration regarding the suitability o f the machines for
material acceptance tests.
However, sometimes two machines that had been evaluated by the direct-verification procedures
described above, and which met all dimensional requirements, were found to give significantly di fferent
impact values when testing test pieces of the same material.
This di fference was commercially important when values obtained using one machine met the material
specification, while the values obtained using the other machine did not. To avoid such disagreements,
some purchasers of materials added the requirement that all pendulum impact testing machines used
for acceptance testing o f material sold to them should be indirectly verified by testing re ference test
pieces supplied by them. A machine was considered acceptable only i f the values obtained using the
machine agreed, within specified limits, with the value furnished with the re ference test pieces.
Successful experience in the use of reference test pieces led to the requirement in ISO 148-2 that
indirect verification should be per formed using re ference test pieces in addition to direct verification.
Other standards and codes also require indirect verification using re ference test pieces; for example,
EN 10045-2 [1] (now obsolete) and ASTM E23 [2] require the use of reference test pieces. The purpose of
this part o f ISO 148 is to speci fy the requirements, preparation and methods for quali fying test pieces
used for the indirect verification o f pendulum impact testing machines.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Metallic materials — Charpy pendulum impact test —

Part 3:
Preparation and characterization of Charpy V-notch
test pieces for indirect verification o f pendulum impact
machines
1 Scope
T h i s p a r t o f I S O 14 8 s p e ci fie s the re qu i rements , prep a ration a nd me tho d s for qua l i fyi ng te s t pie ce s

used for the i nd i re c t veri fic ation o f p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne s i n accorda nce with I S O 14 8 -2 .

I t s p e ci fie s no tche d te s t pie ce s with nom i na l d i men s ion s identica l to tho s e s p e c i fie d i n I S O 14 8 -1 ;

however, the tolerances are more stringent.

NO TE 1 T he chem ic a l comp o s ition or he at tre atment, or b o th , a re va r ie d accord i ng to the energ y level de s i re d .

NO TE 2 Re ference te s t pie ce s a re qu a l i fie d on re ference p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti n g m ach i ne s wh ich a re a l s o

described in this part of ISO 148.

2 Normative references
T he fol lowi ng re ference d do c u ments , i n whole or i n p ar t, are normatively re ference d i n th i s do c u ment

and a re i nd i s p en s able for its appl ic ation . For date d re ference s , on ly the e d ition cite d appl ie s . For

u ndate d re ference s , the late s t e d ition o f the re ference d do c ument (i nclud i ng a ny amend ments) appl ie s .

ISO 148-1, Metallic materials — Charpy pendulum impact test — Part 1: Test method
ISO 148-2, Metallic materials — Charpy pendulum impact test — Part 2: Verification of testing machines
3 Terms and definitions
For the pu r p o s e s o f th i s do c u ment, the fol lowi ng term s and defi n ition s apply.

3.1 Definitions pertaining to the machine

3.1.1
industrial machine
p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne u s e d for i ndu s tria l, genera l or mo s t re s e arch-lab orator y te s ti ng o f

metallic materials
N o te 1 to entr y: T he s e m ach i ne s a re no t u s e d to e s tab l i s h re ference va lue s .

3.1.2
reference machine
p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne u s e d to de term i ne cer ti fie d va lue s for b atche s o f re ference te s t pie ce s

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 1

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

3.2 Definitions pertaining to energy

3.2.1
total absorbed energy
KT
to ta l ab s orb e d energ y re qui re d to bre a k a te s t pie ce with a p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne, wh ich i s

no t corre c te d for any lo s s e s o f energ y

N o te 1 to entr y: I t i s e qu a l to the d i fference i n the p o tenti a l energ y from the s ta r ti ng p o s ition o f the p endu lu m to

the end o f the fi rs t h a l f s wi ng du r i ng wh ich the te s t pie ce i s b roken .

3.2.2
absorbed energy
K
energ y re qu i re d to bre a k a te s t pie ce with a p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne, a fter corre c tion for
energ y lo s s es

KV or KU. The number 2 or 8 is used

N o te 1 to entr y: T he le tter V or U i s u s e d to i nd ic ate the no tch ge ome tr y, i . e .

as a subscript to indicate the radius of the striking edge of the striker, for example KV2 .
3.2.3
reference absorbed energy
KR
cer ti fie d va lue o f ab s orb e d energ y a s s igne d to the te s t pie ce s used to veri fy the p er formance of

pendulum impact testing machines

3.3 Definitions related to groups o f test pieces
3.3.1
batch
defi n ite quantity o f re ference te s t pie ce s manu fac tu re d u nder identic a l cond ition s o f pro duc tion, with a

com mon cer ti fie d ab s orb e d energ y

3.3.2
set
group of test pieces chosen at random from a batch
3.3.2.1
characterization set
s e t o f te s t pie ce s ta ken from a b atch and u s e d to de term i ne the re ference energ y o f the b atch

3.3.2.2
reference set
s e t o f te s t pie ce s u s e d to veri fy a p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne

3.4 Definitions pertaining to test pieces

3.4.1
width
W
distance between the notched face and the opposite face
N o te 1 to entr y: I n pre viou s vers ion s o f the I S O 14 8 s er ie s ( p r ior to 2 016 ) , the d i s ta nce b e twe en the no tche d face
a nd the op p o s ite face wa s s p e c i fie d a s “ height”. C h a ngi ng th i s d i men s io n to “width” m a ke s I S O 14 8 -1 con s i s tent

with the ter m i nolo g y u s e d i n o ther I S O frac tu re s ta nda rd s .

2 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

3.4.2
thickness
B
dimension perpendicular to the width and parallel to the notch
N o te 1 to entr y: I n p re vio u s vers ion s o f the I S O 14 8 s erie s ( p r ior to 2 016 ) , the d i men s ion p er p end ic u l a r to

the width th at i s p a ra l lel to the no tch wa s s p e c i fie d a s “width”. C h a ngi ng th i s d i men s ion to “th ickne s s ” m a ke s

I S O 14 8 -1 co n s i s tent with the ter m i nolo g y u s e d i n o ther I S O frac tu re s ta nd a rd s .

3.4.3
length
L
largest dimension perpendicular to the notch
3.4.4
reference test piece
i mp ac t te s t pie ce u s e d to veri fy the s u itabi l ity o f a p endu lum i mp ac t te s ti ng mach i ne b y comp ari ng

the i nd ic ate d ab s orb e d energ y me a s u re d b y that mach i ne to the re ference ab s orb e d energ y as s o c iate d

with the test pieces

3.4.5
certified re ference test piece
i mp ac t te s t pie ce accomp a n ie d b y a cer ti fic ate provid i ng the cer ti fie d ab s orb e d energ y va lue, KR, and
its u ncer tai nty at a s tate d level o f con fidence

N o te 1 to entr y: T he cer ti fie d re ference va lue i s the va lue de ter m i ne d b y a cer ti fie d n atio n a l or i nter n atio n a l

b o dy, o r b y a n orga n i z ation acc re d ite d fo r the pro duc tio n o f cer ti fie d C h a r p y re ference te s t p ie ce s i n accorda nce

with ISO Guide 34[3] , following the procedures described in this part of ISO 148.

4 Symbols and abbreviated terms

Table 1 — Symbols/abbreviated terms and their designations and units

Symbol/
Unit Designation
abbreviated term
CRM — cer ti fie d re ference m ateri a l

GUM — gu ide to the e xpre s s io n o f u ncer ta i nty i n me a s u rement

k — coverage factor
K J ab s o rb e d energ y

KT J to ta l ab s orb e d energ y

KR J re ference ab s o rb e d energ y o f a s e t o f C h a r p y re ference te s t pie ce s

KV J ab s o rb e d energ y a s me a s u re d i n accord a nce with I S O 14 8 -1 on a V-no tche d

sample
KVchar J KV va lue a s de ter m i ne d for a b atch o f V-no tche d C h a r p y re ference m ateri a l s i n
a b atch cer ti fic ation ch a rac ter i z atio n e xerc i s e

KVPB J cer ti fie d KV value of a PB reference material

KVR J cer ti fie d KV f
va lue o f
a C h a r p y re erence m ater i a l

KVSB J cer ti fie d KV value of an SB reference material

n hom — nu mb er o f s a mp le s te s te d fo r the homo geneity a s s e s s ment

n PB — number of PB specimens used to compare SB with PB

n SB — number of SB specimens used to compare SB with PB
nV — nu mb er o f re ference s a mp le s te s te d

impact testing machine

fo r the i nd i re c t ver i fic ation o f a p endu lu m

p — nu mb er o f l ab orator ie s/i n s tr u ments p a r tic ip ati ng i n a l ab orato r y comp a r i s o n

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 3

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Table 1 (continued)
Symbol/
Unit Designation
abbreviated term
PB — pr i m a r y b atch

REMCO — ISO Committee on Reference Materials

RM — reference material
SB — s e co nd a r y b atch

sp J standard deviation of the mean K values obtained at p laboratories

V

sPB J standard deviation of results obtained on n PB PB samples when comparing

them with n SB SB samples
sRM J standard deviation of the K values obtained on n hom samples in the homoge-
V
neity a s s e s s ment o f the b atch o f re ference m ater i a l

uchar J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f KVchar

uchar,PB J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f KVchar for a PB
uchar,SB J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f KVchar for an SB

uhom J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f the ho mo geneity a s s e s s ment o f the re ference m ater i a l

ults J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f the lo ng-ter m- s tabi l ity a s s e s s ment o f the re ference

material
uRM J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f the cer ti fie d va lue o f a re ference m ater i a l u s e d

i nd i re c t ver i fic atio n

fo r

URM J e xp a nde d u ncer ta i nty o f the cer ti fie d va lue o f a re ference m ater ia l at a con fi -
dence level of about 95 %
usts J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f the s ho r t-ter m- s tab i l ity a s s e s s ment o f a re ference

material
u XPB J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f XPB
u XSB J s ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f XSB
XPB J mean of n PB specimens used to compare SB with PB
XSB J mean of n SB specimens used to compare SB with PB
δ KVhom J part of the error of the measured KV va lue due to b atch he tero geneity

δ KV lts
J part of the error of the measured KV va lue due to lo ng- ter m i n s tab i l ity

δ KVsts J part of the error of the measured KV va lue due to s hor t-ter m i n s tab i l ity

v char — degrees of freedom corresponding to uchar

v hom — degrees of freedom corresponding to uhom
vRM — degrees of freedom corresponding to uRM

5 Reference testing machine

5.1 Characteristics

5.1.1 General

T he cha rac teri s tics o f re ference mach i ne s u s e d to de term i ne the re ference energ y o f re ference te s t

pie ce s s ha l l comply with the re qui rements o f I S O 14 8 -2 e xcep t a s mo d i fie d b elow.

4 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

5.1.2 Geometrical characteristics (see Table 2 and Figures 1 and 2)

The following geometrical characteristics apply:

 
a) the radius of the anvils shall be 1 +00 10 
00 mm ;
,

 
b) the distance between the anvils shall be 40 +00 10 
00 mm ;
,

c) the striking edge shall be within ±0,25 mm o f the plane o f symmetry o f the anvils.

Table 2 — Geometrical characteristics

Reference
Designation Value Tolerance Units
numbera

1 Length of test piece 55,00 +0,00 * mm

−0,30
2 Half-length of test piece 27,5 ±0,2 * mm
3 Width of test piece 10,00 ±0,06 mm
4 Thickness of test piece 10,00 ±0,07 * mm
5 Ligament length 8,00 ±0,06 mm
6 Angle of notch 45,0 ±1,0 * °
7 Radius at base of notch 0,250 ±0,025 mm
8 Angle between adjacent faces 90,00 ±0,15 * °
9 Angle between plane o f symmetry o f notch and longitudinal 90 ±2 °
axis
10 Radius of anvils 1,00 +0,10 * mm
−0,00
11 Angle of taper of anvils 11 ±1,0 °
12 Distance between anvils 40,00 +0,10
−0,00 * mm
13 Distance o f striking edge from plane o f symmetry o f anvils — ±0,25 * mm
14 Angle of striker 30 ±1 °
15A Radius of striking edge of 2 mm striker 2,00 +0,20
−0,00 * mm
15B Radius of striking edge of 8 mm striker 8,00 ±0.05 mm
15C Radius of shoulder of 8 mm striker 0,25 +0,50 mm
−0,05
15D Width of striking edge of 8 mm striker 4,00 ±0,20 mm
NOTE 1 Tolerances followed by an asterisk * are tighter than those in ISO 148-1 or ISO 148-2.
NOTE 2 See Figures 1 and 2.
a See Figure 1.

5.1.3 Capacity

The capacity o f a re ference machine (nominal initial potential energy) shall be appropriate for the
specimens to be tested and certified with it. Certified energies shall not exceed 80 % o f the machine
capacity.

5.1.4 Hardness

The portions of the striker and the anvils (see Figure 1) that contact the specimen and apply or react to
the impacting force shall have a minimum hardness of 56 HRC.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 5

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

5.1.5 Vibration
Ensure that the re ference machine is not subjected to external vibrations induced by other equipment
in close proximity, such as forging hammers, presses, moving vehicles. The machine shall also be free o f
excessive vibrations during an impact test.
NOTE Such vibrations can be detected by placing a small container o f water at any convenient location on
the machine framework; the absence o f ripples on the water sur face during an impact test indicates that this
requirement has been met. Excessive vibration in a machine firmly fastened to the floor indicates the need for a
separate foundation and/or the use of vibration isolators.
5.1.6 Energy-indicating mechanism
The resolution shall be at least 1/400 o f the nominal energy.

5.2 Verification o f re ference testing machine

Direct verification shall be carried out in accordance with ISO 148-2 and with the additional
requirements of 5.1.
Indirect verification shall be carried out using certified re ference test piece. The repeatability and the
bias shall be as specified in Table 3.
All equipment used for inspection and verification o f a re ference testing machine shall be calibrated
and shall have a certified traceability to the SI System (the international system o f units). The body
per forming the verification shall maintain calibration records for all inspection, measurement and test
equipment.
The dates and details of all inspections and repairs shall be documented and maintained for each
re ference machine by the owner o f the machine.

Table 3 — Repeatability and bias of reference pendulum impact testing machines

Absorbed energy Repeatability Allowed bias
K
<40 J ≤2 J ±2 J
≥40 J ≤5 % o f KR ±5 % of KR
Repeatability is the standard deviation o f the KR values measured on a least 10 reference test pieces.
Bias is given by K - K R
where
K=
K1 + K 2 + K3 +  + Kn �

n
�

where n ≥ 10.

6 Reference test pieces

6.1 General
Guidelines for the preparation, certification, and use o f (certified) re ference materials have been drawn
up by ISO REMCO, the ISO Committee on re ference materials (see Re ferences [3] to [7]). The procedures
described below provide more details, specific to the case o f Charpy re ference test pieces.

6.2 Material
All the test pieces from a batch shall come from a single ingot or melt.
6 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved
 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

All test pieces shall be made o f steel. The composition o f the test pieces is not specified. Batches with
di fferent energy levels may have di fferent compositions.
All test pieces from a batch shall receive the same heat treatment.
For each batch, the level for the re ference absorbed energy is characterized by using one o f the
following ranges:
— Low: <30 J
— Medium: ≥30 J to 110 J
— High: ≥110 J to 200 J
— Ultra-high: ≥200 J

6.3 Dimensions
The reference test pieces shall meet the dimensional requirements given in Table 2.
NOTE These dimensions are identical with those in ISO 148-1, except that some of the tolerances are tighter.
The radius at the base of the notch shall be tangential to the notch angle.
The sur face finish, Ra, shall not exceed 1,6 µm on the notched surface and 3,2 µm on the other surfaces.

6.4 Marking
All test pieces shall be permanently marked so that each test piece can be distinguished from all
the others.
The test piece may be marked on any face not in contact with supports, anvils or striker and at a position
such that plastic de formation and sur face discontinuities caused by marking do not a ffect the absorbed
energy measured in the test.

6.5 Qualification o f a batch o f re ference test pieces

6.5.1 Any group o f test pieces meeting the requirements o f 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4 may be used as the batch
rom which re ference test pieces are randomly selected.
f

6.5.2 To determine the reference energy o f a batch, draw one or more sets o f at least 25 test pieces at
random from the batch and test them on one or more reference machine(s). Take the reference absorbed
energy o f the batch as the grand average o f the values obtained for the 25 or more test pieces, or as the
average of the mean values obtained on the different reference machines.
NOTE The certified values can be determined using other methods, providing the method used con forms to
ISO Guide 34 and ISO Guide 35 [7] .
6.5.3 Also calculate the standard deviation. The standard deviation shall be as specified in Table 4.

Table 4 — Maximum allowable standard deviations permitted for Charpy reference test pieces
Energy Standard deviation
KR
<40 J ≤2,0 J
≥40 J ≤5 % o f KR

6.5.4 The report on the impact tests of the reference test pieces shall include the following information:

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 7

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

a) striker geometry;
b) temperature at which the tests were per formed;
c) all details necessary for the identification o f each test piece;
d) energy value, K, of each test piece, corrected for air resistance and friction, with the striker radius
and specimen type indicated (KV2 , KV8 , KU2 , or KU8 );
e) value o f the re ference absorbed energy and the associated standard deviation;
f ) uncertainty associated with the re ference absorbed energy value measured for the set.
NOTE In formation on calculating uncertainty is given in Annex A.

6.6 Reference test piece sets

A fter the characterization set(s) to be tested by the re ference machine(s) have been drawn from the
batch, draw the remaining test pieces in sets o f five. These are the test piece sets. Each test piece set
shall remain intact with no substitution permitted.
7 Certificates for re ference test pieces
Each set o f re ference test pieces shall be accompanied by a certificate which provides the following
information:
a) re ference to this part o f ISO 148, i.e. ISO 148-3;
b) name, trademark or re ference number o f the producer;
c) re ference absorbed energy value o f the set and its uncertainty at the stated level o f confidence;
d) striker geometry;
e) temperature at which the re ference specimen should be tested;
f ) necessary in formation for appropriate use o f the re ference test pieces;
g) name and general description o f the material;
h) producer’s code for the batch;
i) intended use (making re ference to ISO 148-2);
j) description o f the (metrologically valid) procedure used to determine the certified value;
k) statement on the metrological traceability o f the certified value;
l) storage conditions and shel f-li fe (period o f validity).

8 Notes for using sets of reference test pieces

8.1 Indirect verification o f an industrial machine shall be performed in accordance with ISO 148-2 using
the reference test pieces, the striker and the temperature specified by the producer o f the test pieces.

8.2 All the re ference test pieces in each set shall be used for a single, indirect verification o f the
pendulum impact testing machine, testing the test pieces in random order and including all the results in
the average. Substitution or replacement o f individual test pieces by test pieces from another re ference
set is not permitted.

8 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Dimensions in millimetres

a) 2 mm striker b) 8 mm striker

c) Overview

NOTE See Table 2 for geometrical characteristics.

a Line of strike.

Figure 1 — Dimensions of test pieces, anvils and strikers

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 9

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Key
1 anvil
2 standardized test piece
3 test piece supports
4 shroud
5 width of test piece, W
6 length of test piece, L
7 thickness of test piece, B
8 centre of strike
9 direction of pendulum swing
Figure 2 — Configuration o f test-piece supports and anvils in a reference pendulum impact
testing machine

10 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Annex A
(informative)
Uncertainty o f the certified KV value of Charpy reference materials

A.1 Background
When per forming an indirect verification o f a pendulum impact testing machine, one compares the
reference KV value of the reference test pieces with values measured on the pendulum impact testing
machine under verification. To determine the measurement uncertainty o f this indirect verification
exercise and, later, the measurement uncertainty o f Charpy measurements on the verified pendulum
impact testing machine, one needs the uncertainty o f the re ference value. There fore, this uncertainty
should be assessed and provided by the re ference material (RM) producer.
The ISO Committee on reference materials (REMCO) has drawn up a series of documents on reference
materials production and use, which are released as ISO Guides (see References [3] to [7]). Approaches
to tackling the uncertainty aspect o f RM production are described in generic terms in ISO Guide 34
and in more technical-statistical detail in ISO Guide 35. This Annex provides an ISO-Guides-compliant
practical framework for the calculation o f the uncertainty o f the certified absorbed energy value o f a
Charpy RM. The text is based on current approaches followed by national metrology institutes (NMIs)
active in the Charpy field. The approaches presented here can be used as a guideline by potential
new Charpy RM producers, as well as by the users o f Charpy RMs who require more insight into the
uncertainty stated by the RM producer on the RM certificate.

A.2 The GUM-compliant uncertainty budget

ISO Guide 35 provides a basic, GUM[8] -compliant, model for the certification of batches of certified
re ference materials (CRMs). In Charpy terms, the model can be expressed as follows:
KV = KV
R char
+ δ KV hom
+ δ KV + δ KV
lts s ts
(A.1)
where
KVchar is the KV value obtained from the characterization of the batch (comparing results
rom di fferent machines);
f

KVhom is an error term due to variation between samples (comparing results in repeatabili-
ty conditions on a single pendulum);
KVlts , KVsts are error terms due to the long-term and short-term instability o f the RM (compar-
ing results of samples exposed to different ageing periods).
Homogeneity and stability studies are most o ften designed in such a way that the values o f the
corresponding error terms are zero. However, the uncertainties o f the error terms are not (always)
zero. Assuming independence o f the variables, the uncertainty o f the certified value o f the Charpy RM,
therefore, can be expressed as:
u RM
= u 2

char
+u 2

ho m
+u +u
2

lts
2

s ts
(A.2)
The better the within-instrument repeatability and the between-instrument reproducibility, the
smaller uchar will be. The better the between-sample homogeneity, the smaller uhom will be. Sometimes,
the material homogeneity is very good, and uhom is dominated by within-instrument repeatability. This

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 11

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

is not the case for typical Charpy RMs. The better the stability o f the RM microstructure, under the
appropriate transport and storage conditions, the smaller usts and ults will be.
A.3 KVR, the certified KV of a batch of Charpy RMs
Charpy RMs are produced batch-wise. The KV values o f samples from a single batch vary from sample
to sample. Yet, the whole batch will be assigned a single certified KV value. Obviously, this could be
best estimated by testing all samples. However, since the impact test is destructive, there would be
no samples left for distribution as reference materials. Instead, a representative selection of samples
is taken from the batch and tested. An average value will become the certified value, KVR . This can be
the average of all samples tested, or the average of the mean values of a number of subgroups of the
samples tested.
A.4 u char, the uncertainty of the average KV of a batch of Charpy RMs
A.4.1 Differences between pendulum impact testing machines
Even if one would break all samples of a batch to determine the average KV of the batch, still the
question remains whether the average value obtained under the particular test conditions is affected
by inaccuracies in the tests per formed. To reduce this uncertainty, RM producers generally try to
measure the property to be certified in di fferent independent ways. For properties such as the chemical
composition of an RM, one can often use different methods. However, in the case of pendulum impact
tests, the only way to measure the “method-defined” KV value is to do Charpy pendulum impact tests
in accordance with the applicable standard procedure (ISO 148-1), to which the certified values will be
metrologically traceable.
To reduce the e ffect o f machine-specific bias from the standard procedure on the certified re ference
values, one often performs pendulum impact tests on several pendulum impact testing machines. The
larger the number of pendulum impact testing machines used to assess the average of a single batch of
samples, the more likely it is that the average o f the values obtained is true and unbiased. O f course, this
is only true at the condition that individual participating pendulums are good quality instruments. This
is the approach o f both inter- and intralaboratory comparisons, currently followed in Charpy re ference
material certification, and recommended in ISO Guide 35. [7]
A.4.2 Intercomparison among p pendulum impact testing machines (p ≥ 6)
When a su fficient number o f machines participate in a comparison, the standard uncertainty o f the
average value is calculated as:
sp
u char = (A.3)
p
where
u char is the uncertainty from the characterization o f the batch;
p is the number o f laboratories or instruments participating in the intercomparison;
sp is the standard deviation o f the laboratory mean values.
This approach assumes that the individual laboratory mean values are normally distributed, and
that the instruments or laboratories participating are a representative sample from the population
o f Charpy pendulum impact testing machines that meet the dimensions and per formance criteria
specified in ISO 148-2. The number o f degrees o f freedom, vchar, associated with this way o f calculating
u char is p −1. ISO Guide 35 recommends a minimum number o f six laboratories or instruments for this
approach (ISO Guide 35:2006, 9.4.2.3.1).

12 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

A.4.3 Intercomparison among p pendulum impact testing machines p ( < 6)

When the number of instruments participating to the comparison is limited, the value sp is not a
reliable estimate of the standard deviation of the mean values between instruments. To assess uchar,
other methods should be used. These methods combine the systematic di fferences observed between
the instruments participating in the intercomparison (between-instrument uncertainty) and the
measurement uncertainty assessed for the individual instruments (within-instrument uncertainty). An
example is the so-called “BOB” or Type-B-on-bias-approach (see Re ference [9]).
To have better control over the quality o f the impact pendulums participating in the certification
exercise, some CRM producers prefer to limit the number of impact pendulums to those in their own
laboratory (intralaboratory). This approach o ffers the benefit o f better defining the range for acceptable
machine performance. However, it can be argued that it affects the independence of the averaged values.
This is why the interlaboratory comparison is generally pre ferred in ISO Guide 35.

A.5 Uncertainty due to material instability

The stability o f the certified value o f a CRM is typically threatened by two possible e ffects: degradation
o f the material during transport from producer to user (short-term stability), and degradation o f the
material during storage between the moment of production and the distribution to the CRM user (long-
term stability). In the case o f the steels currently used for the production o f Charpy CRMs, neither
short- nor long-term stability has presented problems (see Re ferences [10], [11] and [12]). However, this
should remain a subject o f investigation, especially when selecting new types o f steel for the production
o f Charpy CRMs. Until then, the values for ults and u sts are considered negligibly small.

A.6 Uncertainty due to sample-to-sample variation — Homogeneity of the batch

Due to the heterogeneity o f the steel microstructure, and the nature o f the impact fracture process,
samples from the same batch o ften have measurably di fferent KV values. This implies that the average
value o f the set o f verification test pieces tested by the CRM user is not exactly the same as the average
of the RM batch from which the set was drawn.
For a single sample, the standard uncertainty, u hom , associated with this homogeneity issue equals
the standard deviation of the batch, sRM . To assess this standard deviation, tests are performed
on a representative number of samples n hom, selected from the batch. The tests are performed in
repeatability conditions, excluding or at least minimizing the contributions to the standard deviation
coming from machine, operator or other factors.
NOTE The value of sRM can also be deduced from the results of the interlaboratory comparison (see A.4). In
this case, the within-laboratory and the between-laboratory variance o f the results are separated using ANOVA
(analysis o f variance). The within-laboratory variance is related to sRM .
Experience has shown that it is di fficult to obtain large batches o f Charpy re ference test pieces with a
standard deviation smaller than 3 %. At least, this is the case for the hardenable kind of steels needed
for the production o f samples at di fferent energy levels with a minimum hardness, so as to truly put
the pendulum to a test during verification. To reduce this relatively large contribution to the overall
uncertainty o f the certified value, it is common practice that the CRM user tests a set o f samples o f
the batch, rather than a single sample, to veri fy a pendulum. (Actually, ISO 148-2 prescribes the use o f
at least five test pieces.) The chances that the average o f a set o f test pieces equals the average o f the
whole batch increases with nV, the number of test pieces used in the indirect verification, reducing the
corresponding uncertainty contribution according to Formula (A.4):
s RM
u hom = (A.4)
nV
The number o f degrees o f freedom o f this uncertainty contribution, vhom , equals (n hom − 1).

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 13

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

A.7 Combined and expanded uncertainty o f the certified value, and how to
report them
I f the uncertainty contributions from material instability can be neglected, the combined standard
uncertainty, uRM , is calculated from the remaining standard uncertainty contributions, uchar and u hom ,
as follows:
u RM = u char
2
+ u hom
2
(A.5)
Usually, the uncertainty o f a certified value on the certificate is specified for a confidence level o f about
95 %. There fore, the standard combined uncertainty, uRM , has to be expanded using an appropriate
coverage factor, k. The coverage factor to be used depends on the number of degrees of freedom
associated with the combined uncertainty, which can be computed using the Welch-Satterthwaite
approximation (see Reference [8]). For a typical case (see example in A.8), the number of effective
degrees of freedom is larger than 20 and a coverage factor of k = 2 can be used. If the number of degrees
of freedom, vRM , is smaller, the coverage factor can be calculated as:
k = t95 (νRM ) (A.6)
with t values taken from the non-standard GUM table (see Reference [8]). The certified value, KVRM , of
re ference test pieces always has to be reported together with the corresponding expanded uncertainty,
URM , and the coverage factor and/or confidence level (see Reference [5 ]). For the case o f Charpy
re ference test pieces, the user will benefit from the following additional in formation (see ISO 148-2,
Annex A):
1) vchar, the number of degrees of freedom of uchar, or the number p of laboratories/instruments
participating in the laboratory comparison;
2) standard deviation, sRM , o f the homogeneity test results, as a measure for the reference material
inhomogeneity, as well as n hom , the number o f samples used to determine the homogeneity;
3) value of uchar, which is required for trans ferring the certified value from one batch of Charpy RMs
to another batch (see A.9).
A.8 Example
An RM producer has processed a batch o f Charpy test pieces. To assess the homogeneity o f the batch,
one laboratory is chosen to test 25 test pieces in repeatability conditions. Table A.1 shows the results.
First, the data are screened for statistical outliers (as described, for example, in ISO 5725-2 [13] ). Grubbs’
test reveals that the result o f sample 22 is a statistical outlier at the 95 % confidence level. An inspection
o f the sample reveals no abnormal anvil or striker traces, indicating that the sample was correctly
positioned during the test. Also, no trivial error was detected when inspecting the test report. Since
there is no technical explanation indicating that the result is an outlier due to reasons external to the
sample, the result cannot be excluded from the homogeneity analysis. I f one had detected a technical
explanation in the sample itsel f (such as a significant microstructural flaw on the fracture sur face),
the result could not have been eliminated either, since this flaw is related to the material homogeneity,
which is the object o f the homogeneity assessment.
When comparing the obtained value, sRM , (3,57 J) with the average value of KV (124,74 J), it is confirmed
that the batch meets the criterion imposed in Table 4 on batches of Charpy reference materials
(sRM ≤ 5 % o f the average value). Based on the intended use of the samples, the CRM producer chooses

14 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

to distribute the samples in sets o f 5, and calculates the corresponding value for the uncertainty
contribution using Formula (A.4):
s RM
u hom = = 3 57 = 1 60
,
, (A.7)
nV 5
Then, 11 accredited test laboratories receive 10 test pieces each, randomly selected from the full batch.
NOTE The RM producer is free to choose the number o f test pieces per test laboratory. Larger numbers will
reduce the uncertainty o f the certified value.
The results o f the interlaboratory comparison are examined by the RM producer. Grubbs’ test does not
reveal any statistical outlier among the laboratory mean values. Table A.2 summarizes the results and
the RM relevant parameters.
Table A.1 — Results of homogeneity tests
Sample KV Sample KV Sample KV
J J J
1 127,7 10 127,9 18 127,3
2 122,2 11 120,7 19 123,8
3 123,5 12 127,5 20 126
4 125,6 13 122,1 21 128,7
5 122,5 14 126,3 22 114,5
6 122,9 15 128,9 23 121,3
7 126,7 16 125,4 24 128,1
8 123,2 17 119,1 25 127
9 129,5 — — — —
Average KV = 124,74 J sRM = 3,57 J n hom = 25
Table A.2 — Results of interlaboratory comparison
Laboratory KV Laboratory KV
J J
1 122,2 7 126,8
2 120,9 8 125,1
3 125,5 9 123,7
4 122,0 10 124,0
5 123,8 11 124,9
6 122,8 — —
KVR = 123,8 J sp = 1,73 J P = 11 uchar = 0,52 J vchar = 10
The certified value (123,8 J) is obtained as the rounded average o f the laboratory mean values. A
standard uncertainty, uchar, o f 0,52 J is calculated from the standard deviation o f the laboratory mean
values, using Formula (A.3).
Table A.3 shows the standard uncertainty contributions, uchar and uhom, the combined standard
uncertainty, uRM and vRM , and the number of degrees of freedom calculated from the Welch-
Satterthwaite equation. Since vRM is larger than 20, a coverage factor of k = 2 can be used to calculate
the expanded uncertainty, URM , for a confidence level o f about 95 %. Its value is rounded up to one
decimal, in agreement with the precision o f the certified value.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 15

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Table A.3 — Certification-related uncertainty contributions and associated degrees o f freedom

uchar = 0,52 J vchar = 10 u hom = 1,60 J vhom = 24
S ta nd a rd u ncer ta i nty o f the cer ti fie d va lue c a lc u l ate d from uchar and u hom using Formula (A.5) uRM = 1,68 J
Degrees of freedom calculated using the Welch-Satterthwaite approximation vRM = 28
f URM = 3,4 J
E xp a nde d u ncer ta i nty o the cer ti fie d va lue

To rep or t the cer ti fic ation re s u lts , the cer ti fie d va lue and its uncer ta i nty, Table A.4 can be used.
Table A.4 — Summary table o f the certified KVR with expanded uncertainty, URM
p sRM a n hom KVR uchar URM b
J J J J
11 3,57 25 123,8 0,52 3,4
a This s ta nd a rd de vi atio n is a co n s er vati ve e s ti m ate o f the te s t m ate r i a l he te ro genei t y. ( I ts va lue also co nta i n s a

co ntr ib utio n fro m the i n s tr u me nt rep e atab i l i ty, wh ich c a n no t b e a s s e s s e d s ep a rate l y.)

b T he e x p a nde d u nce r ta i nt y, c a lc u l ate d acco rd i n g to the p ro ce du re de s c r ib e d i n th i s a n ne x, co r re s p o nd s to a co n fide nce

level of about 95 %.

A.9 Additional uncertainty contributions when trans ferring the certified value
from a primary batch to a secondary batch

A.9.1 Aim
C har p y RM s o f a p ar tic u la r b atch c an b e u s e d to de term i ne the cer ti fie d va lue o f ano ther b atch o f

C har p y te s t pie ce s . T he a s s ign ment o f the cer ti fie d va lue o f the new b atch to b e cer ti fie d i s b as e d

on a comparison of KV va lue s o f previou s ly cer ti fie d s a mple s a nd new s a mp le s to b e cer ti fie d . I n the

fol lowi ng , the origi na l ly cer ti fie d b atch i s c a l le d the “P ri mar y B atch (PB) ”, wh ich h as a cer ti fie d va lue

KVPB . T he new b atch to b e cer ti fie d i s ca l le d the “S e condar y B atch (S B) ”. T he comp ari s on ne ce s s a ri ly

re s u lts i n an add itiona l u ncer ta i nty contribution i n comp a ri s on with the u ncer tai nty o f the PB .

A.9.2 Practice — Repeatability, bias and commutability requirements

T he add itiona l u ncer tai nty contribution from the tran s fer o f the cer ti fie d va lue from PB to S B c an

b e kep t re as onably s ma l l i f the comp a ri s on o cc urs u nder s tric t rep e atabi l ity cond ition s . I n the c as e

o f C h arp y p endu lu m i mp ac t te s ts , th i s me a n s ide a l ly th at S B and PB s ample s are te s te d i n one s i ngle

series of tests on one single pendulum, with a mixed order for testing SB and PB samples. The following
values are the results of these tests:
XPB , mean of n PB specimens used to compare SB with PB, standard deviation = sPB
XSB , mean of n SB specimens used to compare SB with PB, standard deviation = sSB
T h i s appro ach i s rel i able on ly i f the p endu lu m u s e d to comp are PB a nd S B p er form s wel l . I n o ther word s ,

the ratio KVPB / XPB s hou ld b e clo s e to 1 ; the a l lowe d d i fference i s 2 0 % ( KVPB ≥ 4 0 J ) or 2 J (KVPB < 40 J),
corre s p ond i ng to the level o f bi as a l lowe d Table 3.
for re ference p endu lu m s s p e ci fie d i n

In addition, the batches SB and PB should be comparable to ensure that the pendulum responds in a
similar manner to samples from both batches. In practice, this means that the same base material
should be used, and the values of XPB and XSB should be close (within ±20 %). In terms of CRM
pro duc tion, th i s i s a com mutabi l ity re qu i rement, the b a s i s for wh ich i s d i s c u s s e d i n I S O Guide 3 3 .

16 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 148-3:2016(E)

T he cer ti fie d va lue o f the s e conda r y b atch, KVSB , i s ob tai ne d b y corre c ti ng X SB b y a ki nd o f pu nc tua l

calibration of the pendulum on which the SB and PB were compared, using the ratio KVPB / XPB :
KVPB
KVSB = ⋅ XSB (A.8)
X PB

where KVPB i s the cer ti fie d KV va lue o f the pri ma r y b atch .

A.9.3 The resulting uncertainty

To c a lc u late the u ncer tai nty o f KVSB , one needs to combine the uncertainties of the factors ,
KVPB X SB
and XPB from Formula (A.8).
a) The value of KVPB f
l i n ks the S B with the re s u lts of the PB . I n term s o u ncer tai nty, on ly u char,PB is
relevant, and not uhom, because Formula (A.7) makes the link to the average KV va lue o f the pri ma r y

b atch, no t to a s e t o f five s ample s from the PB .

b) The values XSB and X PB are estimates of the average of SB and PB on the particular pendulum in
the p ar tic u l ar rep e atabi l ity cond ition s , used for the comp ari s on . T he s tandard u ncer tai nty

contributions from both factors are

s SB
u XSB = (A.9)
n SB
s PB
u XPB = (A.10)
n PB
NOTE The resolution of the pendulum used contributes to the uncertainties of X SB and X PB as well.
H owe ver, the p endu lu m s u s e d fo r th i s typ e o f comp a r i s o n a re cho s en to h ave a go o d re s olution (0 ,1 J o r b e tter) , i n

wh ich c a s e the re s olutio n do e s no t s ign i fic a ntl y co ntr ib ute to u XSB and u XPB .
Since the partial derivatives of Formula (A.8) are all e qua l to 1 or −1 , the uncer ta i nty of the

cha rac teri z ation o f the SB is ob tai ne d by combi n i ng the contribution s ,

u char,PB u XSB and u XPB .
Determine uchar,SB as follows (see H.6.2 of Reference [8]):
u char,SB = 2
u char,PB + u 2XSB + u 2XPB (A.11)
T h i s u ncer tai nty contribution c an b e combi ne d with the u ncer tai nty contribution s o f homo geneity

and/or s tabi l ity, as de s crib e d i n A.8.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved 17

ISO 148-3:2016(E)

Bibliography

[1] EN 10045-2, Metallic materials — Charpy impact test — Part 2: Verification of the testing machine
(pendulum impact)
[2] ASTM E23, Standard test methods for notched bar impact testing of metallic materials
[3] ISO Guide 34, General requirements for the competence of reference material producers
[4] ISO Guide 30, Reference materials — Selected terms and definitions
[5] ISO Guide 31, Reference materials — Contents of certificates, labels and accompanying
documentation
[6] ISO Guide 33, Reference materials — Good practice in using reference materials
[7] ISO Guide 35:2006, Reference materials — General and statistical principles for certification
[8] ISO/IEC Guide 98-3, Uncertainty of measurement — Part 3: Guide to the expression of uncertainty
in measurement (GUM:1995)
[9] Le venson M.S. et al. An approach to combining results from multiple methods motivated by
the ISO GUM. J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. 2000, 105 (4) pp. 571–579
[10] Pauwels J. et al. European certification of Charpy specimens: reasoning and observations. In:
Pendulum Impact testing: A Century of Progress, (S ie wert T.A., & M anah an M.P. eds.) . ASTM
International, 2000, pp. 90–9.
[11] M c C owan C.N. et al. International Comparison of Impact Reference Materials. J. ASTM Int. 2006,
3 (2) p. 9
[12] L ambert y et al. Study of the stability of Charpy V-notch reference test pieces for tests at 20 °C
(ERM®-FA013ab, ERM®-FA015v and ERM®-FA016ax) during long-term storage at 18 °C. Report
EUR 26348, European Union, Luxembourg, 2015.
[13] ISO 5725-2, Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measurement methods and results — Part 2: Basic
method for the determination ofrepeatability and reproducibility ofa standard measurement method

18 © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

ISO 1 48-3 : 2 01 6(E)

ICS 77.040.10
Price based on 18 pages
© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved