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| [[File:Mechanical Testing Lab (5426178692).jpg|right|200px]]
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| '''Title''': ''What is the importance of a materials testing laboratory to society?''
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| '''Author for citation''': Shawn E. Douglas
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| '''License for content''': [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International]
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| '''Publication date''': October 2023
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| ===Materials and materials testing===
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| Before we can answer why a [[Materials science|materials testing]] [[laboratory]] is important to society, we have to ask what a material is, and what testing looks like. The definition of "material" has varied significantly over the years, dependent on the course of study, laboratory, author, etc. A 1974 definition by Richardson and Peterson that has seen some use in academic study defines a material as "any nonliving matter of academic, engineering, or commercial importance."<ref name="RichardsonSys74">{{Cite book |last=Richardson |first=James H. |last2=Peterson |first2=Ronald V. |date= |year=1974 |title=Systematic Materials Analysis, Part 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BNocpYI8gJkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Systematic+Materials+analysis&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjB1OeQx-aAAxWnmmoFHSV2BSsQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=Systematic%20Materials%20analysis&f=false |chapter=Chapter 1: Introduction to Analytical Methods |series=Materials science series |publisher=Academic Press |place=New York |page=2 |isbn=978-0-12-587801-2 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-587801-2.X5001-0}}</ref> But recently biomaterials like biopolymers (as replacements for plastics)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Das |first=Abinash |last2=Ringu |first2=Togam |last3=Ghosh |first3=Sampad |last4=Pramanik |first4=Nabakumar |date=2023-07 |title=A comprehensive review on recent advances in preparation, physicochemical characterization, and bioengineering applications of biopolymers |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00289-022-04443-4 |journal=Polymer Bulletin |language=en |volume=80 |issue=7 |pages=7247–7312 |doi=10.1007/s00289-022-04443-4 |issn=0170-0839 |pmc=PMC9409625 |pmid=36043186}}</ref> and even natural<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kurniawan |first=Nicholas A. |last2=Bouten |first2=Carlijn V.C. |date=2018-04 |title=Mechanobiology of the cell–matrix interplay: Catching a glimpse of complexity via minimalistic models |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352431617301864 |journal=Extreme Mechanics Letters |language=en |volume=20 |pages=59–64 |doi=10.1016/j.eml.2018.01.004}}</ref> and engineered biological tissues<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kim |first=Hyun S. |last2=Kumbar |first2=Sangamesh G. |last3=Nukavarapu |first3=Syam P. |date=2021-03 |title=Biomaterial-directed cell behavior for tissue engineering |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S246845112030057X |journal=Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering |language=en |volume=17 |pages=100260 |doi=10.1016/j.cobme.2020.100260 |pmc=PMC7839921 |pmid=33521410}}</ref> may be referenced as "materials." A modern example would be biodegradable materials research for tissue and medical implant engineering.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Modrák |first=Marcel |last2=Trebuňová |first2=Marianna |last3=Balogová |first3=Alena Findrik |last4=Hudák |first4=Radovan |last5=Živčák |first5=Jozef |date=2023-03-16 |title=Biodegradable Materials for Tissue Engineering: Development, Classification and Current Applications |url=https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/14/3/159 |journal=Journal of Functional Biomaterials |language=en |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=159 |doi=10.3390/jfb14030159 |issn=2079-4983 |pmc=PMC10051288 |pmid=36976083}}</ref>) Yet today more questions arise. What of matter that doesn't have "academic, engineering, or commercial importance"; can it now be called a "material" in 2023? What if a particular matter exists today but hasn't been thoroughly studied to determine its value to researchers and industrialists? Indeed, the defining "material" today is no easy task.
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| To complicate things further, a material can be defined based upon the context of use, i.e., as a raw material, processed matter, or a discretely manufactured product. The ISO 10303-45 standard, which addresses the representation and exchange of material and product manufacturing information in a standardized way, essentially views materials and products as being interchangeable, complicating matters further.<ref name="ISO10303-45">{{cite web |url=https://www.iso.org/standard/78581.html |title=ISO 10303-45:2019 ''Industrial automation systems and integration — Product data representation and exchange — Part 45: Integrated generic resource: Material and other engineering properties'' |publisher=International Organization for Standardization |date=November 2019 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Swindells |first=Norman |date=2009 |title=The Representation and Exchange of Material and Other Engineering Properties |url=http://datascience.codata.org/articles/abstract/10.2481/dsj.008-007/ |journal=Data Science Journal |language=en |volume=8 |pages=190–200 |doi=10.2481/dsj.008-007 |issn=1683-1470}}</ref>
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| Taking into account the works of various researchers<ref name="RichardsonSys74" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mies, D. |date=2002 |editor-last=Kutz |editor-first=Myer |title=Handbook of materials selection |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gWg-rchM700C&pg=PA499 |chapter=Chapter 17. Managing Materials Data |publisher=J. Wiley |place=New York |page=499 |isbn=978-0-471-35924-1}}</ref>, as well as ISO 10303-45, the concepts of "raw materials"<ref name="OEDRawMat">{{cite web |url=https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=raw+material |title=raw material |work=Oxford English Dictionary |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref> and "chemical elements"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lagowski, J.J.; Mason, B.H.; Tayler, R.J. |date=16 August 2023 |title=chemical element |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/chemical-element |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref>, and modern trends towards the inclusion of biomaterials in materials science, we can land on the following definition:
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| :A material is discrete matter that is elementally raw (e.g., native metallic and non-metallic elements), fundamentally processed (e.g., calcium oxide), or fully manufactured (by human, automation, or both; e.g., a fastener) that has an inherent set of properties that a human or automation-driven solution (e.g., an [[artificial intelligence]] [AI] algorithm) has identified for a potential or realized use environment.
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| Going down this path leads us to the realization that materials, by definition, are inherently linked to the act of intentional human- or automation-driven creation, i.e., manufacturing and construction. And when we talk about manufacturing and construction, terms such as "[[Quality (business)|quality]]," "safety," and "reliability" work their way into the discussion, out of necessity. These three traits are vital to anything manufactured and construction, requiring laboratory testing to better ensure those traits are fully represented with the manufactured or constructed item. This is where the importance of a materials testing laboratory comes in. These labs test materials using mechanical, chemical, and other analytical methods to determine the material's viability, quality, and reliability, among other things. These analyses in turn promote confidence in manufactured and constructed items, as we'll see in the next section.
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| ===Materials testing laboratories: helping ensure quality, safety, and reliability===
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| From the nylon used in climbing rope to the bolts used in bridges, materials are involved in the manufacture and construction of everything in modern society. In addition to ensuring quality in manufacturing and construction processes, the topic of quality of the materials used in those processes is also vital to address. When processes and materials are of a high, standardized quality, the end result is usually a safer and more reliable item, which is generally sought after by end-users and driven by accreditors and regulators. The company manufacturing climbing rope hopefully recognizes that lives are at risk with those using their products and will take standards like UIAA 101 for Dynamic Ropes<ref name="UIAASafetyStan">{{cite web |url=https://www.theuiaa.org/safety/safety-standards/ |title=Safety Standards - UIAA 101 |publisher=International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) |date=2023 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref> seriously. This manufacturing standard mandates laboratory testing of climbing ropes to a standardized laboratory test method such as EN 892:2012+A3:2023 ''Mountaineering equipment - Dynamic mountaineering ropes - Safety requirements and test methods''.<ref name="UIAASafetyStan" /><ref name="EN892">{{cite web |url=https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/71ce641c-e3dd-42fd-82a6-45aa1e735c38/en-892-2012a3-2023 |title=EN 892:2012+A3:2023 ''Mountaineering equipment - Dynamic mountaineering ropes - Safety requirements and test methods'' |publisher=iTeh, Inc |date=25 April 2023 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref>, as well as UIAA's own methods. As the UIAA notes, "safety has been at the forefront" of its activities<ref name="UIAASafety">{{cite web |url=https://www.theuiaa.org/safety/ |title=Climber Safety |publisher=International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) |date=2023 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref>, while at the same time recognizing that by focusing on safety and reliability, the practice of climbing and mountaineering can be positively promoted. Compliant and well-operated materials testing laboratories are critical to giving end users a greater sense of trust in their climbing ropes, further aiding in positive expansion of climbing. (Put another way, fewer people would take on climbing if they knew quality testing wasn't part of the rope manufacturing process.)
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| Similarly, the engineering firm responsible for constructing a bridge hopefully recognizes that lives are at risk with those crossing bridges and they (and hopefully their subcontractors) will take standards like ASTM F3125 ''Standard Specification for High Strength Structural Bolts, Steel and Alloy Steel, Heat Treated, 120 ksi (830 MPa) and 150 ksi (1040 MPa) Minimum Tensile Strength, Inch and Metric Dimensions'', as well as construction specifications like AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications<ref name="FHAUseOf17">{{cite web |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/steel/171201.cfm |title=Use of High Strength Fasteners in Highway Bridges |author=Hartmann, J.L. |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |date=01 December 2017 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref>, seriously. Test methods for those fasteners, while not all-inclusive, help drive appropriate use and ensure they are manufactured to perform the supportive task they are prescribed for by industry regulations such as U.S. 23 CFR 625.4.<ref name="NA23CFR625.4">{{cite web |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-23/chapter-I/subchapter-G/part-625/section-625.4 |title=Title 23, Chapter I, Subchapter G, Part 625, § 625.4 Standards, policies, and standard specifications |work=Code of Federal Regulations |publisher=National Archives |date=05 June 2023 |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref> Those regulations exist with the safety of people in mind, and while recognizing that in comparison to the users of climbing rope a likely smaller percentage of people using bridges think about the safety of bridges, broader society can have greater confidence in their reliable use. (Put another way, if a bridge was collapsing every few weeks, fewer people would take on their use, presuming that quality testing wasn't part of the process.)
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| Both of these cases illustrate the importance of materials testing laboratories to society, focusing on the end user's desire for a quality item that is safe and reliable in its use. Without these specialized laboratories testing the mechanical, chemical, and other properties of materials on a standardized, regular basis, much of the fabric of modern society (and, literally, what it's built on) would be in question. At worst, our society could not function without this vital quality-related step in the manufacturing and construction chain.
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| ==Conclusion==
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
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