The CSIR mechanical testing facility in Cottesloe, Johannesburg, houses two of the largest mechanical testing machines in South Africa, serving the mining and other industries since 1935.

What make these machines special, is the unique combination of the machines’ force capacity and the size of the test specimen that can be accommodated. The 1 000-ton compression-testing machine can accommodate test specimens of up to 4.5 m in length and is regularly used to evaluate the compressive resistance of a variety of roof-support systems employed in modern underground mining. The 500-ton tensile-testing machine, with its 25 m test bed and 2 m stroke length, is used to carry out proof load-testing and destructive tensile-testing to evaluate the mechanical properties of a wide variety of products.

These machines continue to play an important role in assisting the industry to test against legislative standards, such as steel wire ropes, and to promote the general health and safety of workers in mining, manufacturing and construction.