Originally Posted by
walter
.... And when that sample cracked, it stopped my heart for a minute and made me think twice about doing anymore testing ...
You are wearing a face shield and for good measure safety glasses. And possibly a full length apron, leather or heavy canvas.
When you put something under a lot of deformation at a high load you have a lot of stored energy. When the part fails this energy can be converted into small fragments moving fast...in other words; shrapnel.
An open mind is a virtue...so long as all the common sense has not leaked out.