Quality management system implementation for fracture toughness testing

Abstract The evaluation of material fracture mechanic properties has had an increasing need, especially in the oil and gas industries. This scenario requires quality assurance of fracture toughness tests. This article describes the activities carried out when implementing the Quality Management System (QMS) for the fracture toughness tests at the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory (LAMEF) in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, in order to achieve the management and technical requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Since LAMEF was previously accredited in performing other tests, mos...