From Metals to Plastics: The Versatility of a Mechanical Testing Machine.

For any application involving metallic materials, from structural steel beams to fine medical wires, tensile strength is arguably the most important mechanical property. A mechanical testing machine configured for tensile testing provides the essential data that engineers use for design and safety calculations. The test reveals the material's yield strength, the point at which it begins to deform permanently, and its ultimate tensile strength (UTS), the maximum stress it can withstand before breaking. It also measures elongation, indicating how ductile or brittle the metal is. This information is critical for predicting how a metal part will behave under load. For instance, it ensures that a bridge bolt will not permanently stretch under traffic loads and that a car's safety cage will deform in a predictable way during a crash to absorb energy. A precision mechanical testing machine from WBE is the trusted tool for obtaining this fundamental data across the metals industry.

A mechanical testing machine is a sophisticated instrument used to determine the physical and mechanical properties of raw materials and finished products. Its fundamental purpose is to apply a precise, controlled force to a sample (known as a specimen) and accurately measure its response. This force can be tensile (pulling apart), compressive (pushing together), flexural (bending), or shear (sliding). The machine records the applied force and the resulting deformation of the specimen, typically plotting this data on a stress-strain curve. From this graph, crucial properties can be calculated, such as a material's ultimate strength, its elasticity (ability to return to its original shape), and its ductility (ability to deform before breaking). This information is critical for engineers and scientists to understand if a material is suitable for its intended application, ensuring it is strong, safe, and reliable. WBE manufactures a wide range of these machines, from versatile universal testers to specialized equipment for specific industries.

The data produced by your mechanical testing machine is only as reliable as the machine's last calibration. Calibration is a critical, periodic process that verifies the accuracy of the machine's measurements against a known, traceable standard. The two primary systems that require calibration are the force measuring system (load cell) and the displacement/strain measuring system (encoder and extensometer). An accredited calibration technician will use certified proving rings or standard weights to check the load cell at various points across its range and use gauge blocks or other precision instruments to verify displacement. Without regular calibration, measurements can drift due to mechanical wear or electronic component aging, leading to inaccurate results. This could mean a good product fails a QC test, or worse, a bad product passes. WBE offers professional, accredited calibration services for every mechanical testing machine we sell, ensuring our clients can always have complete confidence in their test results.

While the term mechanical testing machine is broad, the specific tests performed are distinct and reveal different properties. The most common is the tensile test, where a specimen is pulled apart until it breaks. This measures the material's ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and ductility. A compression test is the opposite; a specimen is squeezed to determine its behavior under crushing loads, a key test for materials like concrete or foams. A flexural or bend test applies a load to the center of a specimen supported at both ends, measuring its bending strength and flexibility, which is crucial for structural materials. A shear test measures a material's ability to resist forces that are trying to cause its internal structure to slide against itself, important for testing fasteners like bolts and rivets. A high-quality universal mechanical testing machine from WBE can be configured with different grips and fixtures to perform all of these essential tests and more.