Universal testing machine

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Electromechanical Universal Testing Machine Electromechanical Universal Testing Machine.png
Electromechanical Universal Testing Machine
Electro-Hydraulic Universal Testing Machine Electro-Hydraulic Servo Control Universal Testing Machine 600kN.png
Electro-Hydraulic Universal Testing Machine
Test fixture for three point flex test Three point flexural test.jpg
Test fixture for three point flex test

A universal testing machine (UTM), also known as a universal tester, [1] universal tensile machine, materials testing machine, materials test frame, is used to test the tensile strength (pulling) and compressive strength (pushing), flexural strength, bending, shear, hardness, and torsion testing, providing valuable data for designing and ensuring the quality of materials. An earlier name for a tensile testing machine is a tensometer. The "universal" part of the name reflects that it can perform many standard tests application on materials, components, and structures (in other words, that it is versatile).

Contents

Electromechanical and Hydraulic Testing System

An electromechanical UTM utilizes an electric motor to apply a controlled force, while a hydraulic UTM uses hydraulic systems for force application. Electromechanical UTMs are favored for their precision, speed, and ease of use, making them suitable for a wide range of applications, including tensile, compression, and flexural testing.

On the other hand, hydraulic UTMs are capable of generating higher forces and are often used for testing high-strength materials such as metals and alloys, where extreme force applications are required. Both types of UTMs play critical roles in various industries including aerospace, automotive, construction, and materials science, enabling engineers and researchers to accurately assess the mechanical properties of materials for design, quality control, and research purposes.

Components

Several variations are in use. [2] Common components include:

Use

Stress-strain curve showing typical yield behavior for nonferrous alloys. (Stress,
s
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True elastic limit
Proportionality limit
Elastic limit
Offset yield strength Metal yield.svg
Stress–strain curve showing typical yield behavior for nonferrous alloys. (Stress, , shown as a function of strain, .)
A concrete cylinder being tested under a UTM Universal Testing Machine.jpg
A concrete cylinder being tested under a UTM

The set-up and usage are detailed in a test method, often published by a standards organization. This specifies the sample preparation, fixturing, gauge length (the length which is under study or observation), analysis, etc.

The specimen is placed in the machine between the grips and an extensometer if required can automatically record the change in gauge length during the test. If an extensometer is not fitted, the machine itself can record the displacement between its cross heads on which the specimen is held. However, this method not only records the change in length of the specimen but also all other extending / elastic components of the testing machine and its drive systems including any slipping of the specimen in the grips.

Once the machine is started it begins to apply an increasing load on specimen. Throughout the tests the control system and its associated software record the load and extension or compression of the specimen.

Machines range from very small table top systems to ones with over 53 MN (12 million lbf) capacity. [3] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultimate tensile strength</span> Maximum stress withstood by stretched material before breaking

Ultimate tensile strength is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. In brittle materials, the ultimate tensile strength is close to the yield point, whereas in ductile materials, the ultimate tensile strength can be higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fracture</span> Split of materials or structures under stress

Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displacement develops perpendicular to the surface, it is called a normal tensile crack or simply a crack; if a displacement develops tangentially, it is called a shear crack, slip band, or dislocation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compressive strength</span> Capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size

In mechanics, compressive strength is the capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size. In other words, compressive strength resists compression, whereas tensile strength resists tension. In the study of strength of materials, tensile strength, compressive strength, and shear strength can be analyzed independently.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toughness</span> Material ability to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing

In materials science and metallurgy, toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing. Toughness is the strength with which the material opposes rupture. One definition of material toughness is the amount of energy per unit volume that a material can absorb before rupturing. This measure of toughness is different from that used for fracture toughness, which describes the capacity of materials to resist fracture. Toughness requires a balance of strength and ductility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fracture toughness</span> Stress intensity factor at which a cracks propagation increases drastically

In materials science, fracture toughness is the critical stress intensity factor of a sharp crack where propagation of the crack suddenly becomes rapid and unlimited. A component's thickness affects the constraint conditions at the tip of a crack with thin components having plane stress conditions and thick components having plane strain conditions. Plane strain conditions give the lowest fracture toughness value which is a material property. The critical value of stress intensity factor in mode I loading measured under plane strain conditions is known as the plane strain fracture toughness, denoted . When a test fails to meet the thickness and other test requirements that are in place to ensure plane strain conditions, the fracture toughness value produced is given the designation . Fracture toughness is a quantitative way of expressing a material's resistance to crack propagation and standard values for a given material are generally available.

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Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture, or bend strength, or transverse rupture strength is a material property, defined as the stress in a material just before it yields in a flexure test. The transverse bending test is most frequently employed, in which a specimen having either a circular or rectangular cross-section is bent until fracture or yielding using a three-point flexural test technique. The flexural strength represents the highest stress experienced within the material at its moment of yield. It is measured in terms of stress, here given the symbol .

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The three-point bending flexural test provides values for the modulus of elasticity in bending , flexural stress , flexural strain and the flexural stress–strain response of the material. This test is performed on a universal testing machine with a three-point or four-point bend fixture. The main advantage of a three-point flexural test is the ease of the specimen preparation and testing. However, this method has also some disadvantages: the results of the testing method are sensitive to specimen and loading geometry and strain rate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triaxial shear test</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extensometer</span> Device for measuring changes in length

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tensile testing</span> Test procedure to determine mechanical properties of a specimen.

Tensile testing, also known as tension testing, is a fundamental materials science and engineering test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure. Properties that are directly measured via a tensile test are ultimate tensile strength, breaking strength, maximum elongation and reduction in area. From these measurements the following properties can also be determined: Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, yield strength, and strain-hardening characteristics. Uniaxial tensile testing is the most commonly used for obtaining the mechanical characteristics of isotropic materials. Some materials use biaxial tensile testing. The main difference between these testing machines being how load is applied on the materials.

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The four-point flexural test provides values for the modulus of elasticity in bending , flexural stress , flexural strain and the flexural stress-strain response of the material. This test is very similar to the three-point bending flexural test. The major difference being that with the addition of a fourth bearing the portion of the beam between the two loading points is put under maximum stress, as opposed to only the material right under the central bearing in the case of three-point bending.

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References

  1. Davis, Joseph R. (2004), Tensile testing (2nd ed.), ASM International, p. 2, ISBN   978-0-87170-806-9.
  2. Annappa, C H (July 2012), "APPLICATION OF VALUE ENGINEERING FOR COST REDUCTION – A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE", International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, 4 (1): 618–629, retrieved 1 December 2017
  3. NIST, Large Scale Structure Testing Facility, archived from the original on 5 June 2010, retrieved 4 May 2010.
  4. Kirstein (1971). Universal Testing Machine of 12-Million-lbf Capacity, NBS Pub 355 (PDF) (Report). NIST. Retrieved 22 May 2017.