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Me136p Exp 1
Me136p Exp 1
ME136P / A4
Engineering Materials, Processes and Testing
Experiment no. 1
Physical Study of Universal Testing Machine
To familiarize on the different parts and operation of the Universal Testing Machine.
INTRODUCTION
A universal testing machine, also known as a universal tester, materials testing machine or
material test frame is a machine that is used to test the tensile strength and compressive strength
of materials.
Students should first be familiarized with the machines capabilities before performing an
experiment to give them an idea on how it will be used to test the materials and also to be aware
to the solutions of possible hazards that may occur during the experiment to prevent any
accidents that may harm the students. Figure 1 shows the loading unit of UTM and Figure 2
shows the measuring unit of UTM.
RELATED RESEARCH
As a Mechanical Engineering student it is necessary to have knowledge of mechanical
properties of engineering materials because it will be used in our future designs, fabrications and
constructions.
It is called universal testing machine because it can perform many different test such as
tensile, compressive, bend, etc. for us to be able to examine the materials mechanical properties.
It can perform these tests by applying external force to the material which has three main
elements: loading unit, control measuring unit and hydraulic unit for loading. The results from
the test are commonly used to know the application of the material and to predict how it will
react under other types of force.
Tensile test is clamping a single piece of material on each of its ends and pull it apart
until it breaks. This measures how strong it is (tensile strength) how stretchy it is (elongation),
and how stiff it is (tensile modulus).
Compression test is the opposite of tensile test in which you compress an object between
two level plates until a certain load or distance has been reached or the product breaks. The
typical measurements are the maximum force sustained before breakage, or load at displacement,
or displacement at load.
The materials that can be used in the UTM operations are metal, rubber, plastic, leather,
asbestos, PVC, paper, textile, wire, plywood, ceramics, resins etc. but not all kinds of these
materials can be used in all UTM because there are different designs of UTM and each of which
are specialize to test a different level of strength of the materials.
LIST OF APPARATUS/MATERIALS
PROCEDURES
Column
Bed cover
Table cover
Loading cylinder
Drive screw
fixing nut
Bed
Load display meter
Front cover
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
DISCUSSION
Universal testing machine (UTM) is named after the fact that it can perform many standard
tensile and compression tests on materials, components, and structures.
Tensile strength test is where you stretch a material until it breaks to measure how strong,
stretchy, and stiff a material is.
Compression test is the opposite of tensile strength test where you compress the material
until it breaks or a certain distance has been reach.
Universal testing machine have two main parts Loading unit and Control/Measuring unit.
Loading unit consists of two crossheads which are connected by drive screw and column
with an elevation motor which helps the cross head to move upward and downward, a tension
nut cap that is installed at the crossheads and all of these parts are mostly the upper part of the
loading unit. The lower part mostly consists of ram, loading cylinder, table, bed and other
protective equipment for the ram and loading cylinder.
Control/Measure unit consists of 12 parts most noticeable are the load display meter, load
range selector, power switch, etc. it is also where the load applied is recorded.
UTM have many components and each of which are essential for the UTM to work in a very
convenient way for us.
CONCLUSION
One of the best ways that helped us familiarized ourselves to the Universal testing machine
was by seeing and observing it closely. With the help of manual the universal testing machines
different parts can easily be identified and observed and by doing so, we easily assumed some of
its parts function in the operation of tensile and compression test. We easily familiarize ourselves
to some of the UTM’s parts because of its size, for examples are the Crossheads, drive screw and
column, these materials can easily be remembered due to the fact the when the UTM operates the
most noticeable parts that moves are these three because it holds the material that is being
compressed or stretched.
RECOMMENDATION
To familiarize ourselves in a more interesting way, it is better if students will have the
freedom to examine the machine on their own and answer every question they asked, telling the
students some interesting facts about the UTM can increase their interest in the UTM and they
can be more meticulous in observing the machines parts and operations.
Allowing the students to bring their own material to test using the UTM can be a good and
better way to enhance their knowledge about what will happen to the different materials and their
strength, because surely the students will bring different materials that can be used for testing.
REFERENCES