The Testing Times

It's sometimes necessary to attach a grip or fitting that has no way of self aligning , in these cases we've developed several ingenious ways to add this function to the machines. One of these methods is to use a Self- Aligning Fixture like the one shown in the picture. As it is designed to fit a 150 kN U-Series machine it is somewhat massive. The top thread being 1" UNF in diameter and the bottom an M33. It weighs, a not insignificant , 7kg; has a 110mm body diameter and is nearly a foot tall. The central pin that you can see has is supported by a Nitrile block which allows it to float, whilst absorbing the shock of a sample failure.

A range of faces make the 123-001 Textile Grip an adaptable and very useful attachment. Textiles can be a very hard materials to test, they can be very strong in tension, and unless ripped, near impossible to break… it can hold large amounts of energy and can break with a bang! The grips that hold fabric tend to be hydraulic and have special grip arrangements because of this property. There are 3 types of face of the jaws. Plain, Hatched and Grab each have a specific set of materials that they can be used with, each with singular benefits. The 123-001 holds the sample between two 250mm wide faces, these come together with a clamping force and the test can then be performed. If you're interested in this or other Textile testing, please contact Sylvia Hillier or go here: http://www.testingtextiles.com/

W e often come across the problem of testing the strength of fixing methods like adhesives. But how do you test the finished product once the product is produced? Increasingly credit and debit cards have small microchips on them. These are generically called 'Smart Cards' as they contain a great deal of information on the 'chip. To test the strength of these cards, in particular the bonding strength, this attachment has been developed. It is adjustable so that the 'chip can be tested wherever it is placed on the card. There is a retaining arm that is used to hold the card in place, this has a roller on the bottom that allows quick changes. There is a specific routine that allows the chip to be pushed through and the force required is measured...