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Letter fromEuropeBy Prof. Horst CzichosBHT Berlin, University of Applied Sciences, Contributing Editor

The role of metrology and testingto characterize materials and productsEUROLAB, the European Federation of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories commemorated its 25th Anniversary in April

with an Anniversary Seminar, organized by EUROLAB-Denmark, and entitled “Traceable Testings in the International Context.” As Past

President of EUROLAB I was invited to give a talk on the role of metrology and testing to characterize materials and products. This Letter

summarizes the contents of this talk with key figures and explanations.

1. Background: Origin of Conformity Assessment• To facilitate the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital – while protecting essential

public needs, e.g. safety, health, environment – the New Approach was established 1985 in the European Union (EU) as flexible regulatory framework for market and trade.

• Essential requirements are defined in EU-Directives. CE marking declares that the product is safe and in conformity with the relevant EU Directives.

• Harmonised EN Standards define the technical details Ô European Standards are valid in the whole EU, conflicting National Standards have to be withdrawn: “one standard, one test, accepted everywhere”.

• In connection with the formation of the European Union, EUROLAB was set up in Brussels April 1990. Since 1998 it is a Legal Entity under Belgian Law, composed of National Associations of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories with over 2,000 members and about 100,000 technical experts and laboratory practitioners. EUROLAB represents the laboratory community regarding political and technical issues, its members perform confomity assessment services.

2. Conformity Assessment as requirement for market and trade – and metrology and testing as scientific and technological base to characterize materials and products

The EU: 28 states,

24 languages, 500 million citizen

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2. Conformity Assessment as requirement for market and trade

3. Metrology and Testing as scientific and technological base to

characterize technical objects

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3. Metrology and Testing as base to characterize technical objects

4. Methodology of MeasurementMeasurement begins with the definition of the measurand, the quantity intended to be measured.

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2. Conformity Assessment as requirement for market and trade

3. Metrology and Testing as scientific and technological base to

characterize technical objects

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4. Methodology of Measurement

5. Methodology of Testing

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5. Methodology of TestingTesting begins with the definition of the characteristics of an object to be determined by applying a test load to the object with refrence

to a test procedure.

6. The combination of Metrology and TestingThe combined methodologies of measurement and testing are necessary to characterize technical objects.

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4. Methodology of Measurement

5. Methodology of Testing

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6. The combination of Metrology and Testing

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Combination of Metrology and TestingExample: Determination of Elasticity and Strength of a Technical Object

7. Traceability in Metrology and Testing: the Confidence Ring

AcknowledgmentAt the 25th Anniversary of EUROLAB I am very grateful to all collegues

with whom I discussed over the years the topics presented in this talk.

Some figures of the presentation were adopted from the Handbook

of Metrology and Testing, which was worked out in an international

cooperation wth contributions from Europe, Japan and the USA.

horst.czichos@t-online.de

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6. The combination of Metrology and Testing

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7. Traceability requirements to characterize materials and products:

the Confidence Ring

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horst.czichos@t-online.de

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Springer

Handbookoƒ

Metrology and Testing

Czichos Saito Smith Editors

HKS 91