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Tensile Tester
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Fiber Tensile Strength Measurement |
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Component Proof Testing and Pull Testing |
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Coating Strip Or Pull-Out Force Measurement
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Purpose
The tensile test system is specially designed to measure the strength
of ½ meter gauge length optical fiber specimens. This system
represents a considerable cost saving over traditional general purpose
load frames. A
further cost advantage is that many of the components are common to the
Two-Point
Bend Tester. The system is more compact than a standard
load
frame and can more easily be immersed in a controlled test environment.
Description
The fiber is gripped by winding it onto two mandrels. One mandrel is
connected to a high precision load cell while the other is mounted on a
stepper motor driven translation stage. The translation stage is moved
under control of
software running on an IBM PC or compatible computer. The system
comprises:
| stepper motor controlled translation stage and stepper
motor drive. |
| load cell with precision load cell amplifier |
| System Controller with a high performance microprocessor
dedicated to real-time motor control and data acquisition for the load cell.
Connects to the PC via a serial or USB port. |
| heavy duty mounting rail for above. |
| software for complete control of the system from an IBM PC or
compatible in both failure stress (TENSION) and proof stress (PROOF)
modes. |
| all necessary cables and connectors. |
The control software is extremely powerful featuring:
| strength measurement over a broad range of loading rates. |
| constant capstan speed, stress rate and strain rate modes
using servo control. |
| incorporates corrections for non-linear
fiber
elastic modulus. |
| a static fatigue mode in which the time to failure is determined
as
a function of the applied load. |
| reports strain and stress, speed, strain rate and stress rate at
failure, time to failure and all other key experimental parameters. |
| fully configurable by the user both from configuration files
or menus. Configurable parameters include fiber dimensions
and elastic properties,
speed parameters, etc. |
| guaranteed to meet or exceed requirements of current standard test
procedures
(TIA/EIA, IEC, Bellcore, etc.) |
-
 Click
here for information on the recently
released TENSION for Windows software.
-
Click
here for information on the
STRIP for
Windows software.
Strength Measurement
The system meets or exceeds the requirements of TIA/EIA-455-28 for
tensile strength and fatigue measurement
½ meter specimens. A 1 meter gauge length option is available.
Proof/Pull Testing
The Tensile Tester can be used to proof test optical fiber
components (also known as screen testing) by briefly applying a
specified load or stress
to ensure a minimum strength. Applications might include proofing
splices,
connectors, couplers or fiber Bragg gratings. The control software
incorporates
proof testing to a user-specified load. A Windows version of the control
software is currently under development.
Coating Strip Force and Pull-Out Force
The tensile test system has an option, TT-STRIP, which includes
mounting fixtures and control software for measuring the strip
force when stripping a length of fiber coating using a
modified Klein Tools stripping tool. A tool suitable for 125/250 µm standard
telecom fiber is included but other tools are available (TT-KLEIN-xxx-yyy
- please specify both the glass diameter, xxx, and outer coating
diameter, yyy, when ordering the stripping
tool). Click here for information on the recently released
STRIP for
Windows software.
An alternative method for assessing the coating adhesion is the
"pull-out" test. This involves gluing the fiber coating to a card tab
and then pulling the fiber from the glued section. The TT-STRIP option
includes a mounting clamp for holding the glue tab.
Load Cell Calibration
The control software has built in features for precisely calibrating
the load cell by hanging test weights on the system using a piece of
string. This
is most conveniently achieved by mounting the system vertically and a
mounting
bracket is supplied for this purpose. However, it is often more
convenient
to use the equipment in the horizontal position. Some standard test
procedures
require that the load cell be calibrated in the orientation in which
the
system is to be used. An option, TT-CAL, provides a pulley over which
the
string can be passed so that the force applied by the weights is
converted
to a horizontal force on the load cell. While vertical calibration
provides
the more accurate results, the calibration can be checked in the
horizontal
configuration.
Specifications
| Maximum load (others load ranges available) |
120 N |
| Load error (linearity, hysteresis,
repeatability) |
< ±
0.07 N |
| Maximum loading rate (½ meter
gauge
length - maximum stress and strain rates
scale
inversely with gauge length) |
5 mm/s
50 %/min
500 MPa/s |
The maximum loading rates are for 125 µm glass diameter
silica optical fibers. Contact us for information on loading rates other
fiber sizes.
Requirements
A PC with a 500 MHz processor or better is required (1 GHz recommended),
running Windows 95 or later. Calibration weights are needed to calibrate the
load cell for compliance with standard test procedures.
Options
- Upgrade for Two-Point Bend Tester
-
If you already have a
Fiber
Sigma Two-Point Bend Tester based on the Aerotech or ALM translation stage,
the
additional components required for the tensile test system can be
obtained
without having to purchase a second translation stage and related
electronics
(option TP-TT).
- Coating Strip Force and Pull-out Force
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This option
includes fixtures
for measuring Coating Strip Force and
Pull-out Force.
- One Meter Gauge Length
-
A longer base rail and longer
travel
translation stage are available for testing a 1 m gauge length (TT-1M). This option is not available as an upgrade for existing systems.
- Horizontal Load Cell Calibration
-
Calibration of
the load cell is performed by hanging weights (not included) on it. Some standard test
procedures require that the calibration be performed in the same
orientation as the testing;
if the system is used with the fiber horizontal the calibration force
must
be applied horizontally. An optional calibration kit (TT-CAL) permits
this
by suspending calibration weights (not included) on a thread passed
over
a low friction pulley. However, the most accurate calibration is performed by
mounting the equipment vertically and hanging weights directly on the load
cell.
- Pneumatic Grip
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The standard system grips the fiber by
winding around mandrels. Pneumatic grips are easier to use but do not
grip the fiber
well enough for strength measurements. However, a single pneumatic grip
(TT-GRIP)
can be used for strip force and pull-out force testing. A pair can be used
for
proof testing. A 75 psi air supply is required to operate the grips.
- Thick Fibers
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The standard system is designed for use
with
standard 125 µm glass diameter
telecommunication
fibers. The system can be used with thicker fibers but a higher
capacity
load cell and larger diameter mandrels will be required. Please contact
us
for information.
Ordering Information
| Description |
Part# |
| Complete tensile test system
(including all hardware, electronics, software and cables) |
TT-1 |
|
Upgrade from two-point bend to
tensile test system (including all additional hardware, electronics,
software and cables) (contact us for details) |
TP-TT |
| Upgrade for 1 meter gauge length† |
TT-1M |
| Horizontal calibration hardware |
TT-CAL |
| Pneumatic grip (single) |
TT-GRIP |
| Replacement rubber coated faceplates
for pneumatic grips (pair) |
TT-FACE |
| Optical fiber coating strip force
and pull-out force (mounting hardware and software) |
TT-STRIP |
| Modified Micro-Strip stripping tool
(specify glass diameter, xxx, and coating outer diameter, yyy,
in µm) |
TT-TOOL-xxx-yyy |
† must be ordered at same time as TT-1 or TP-TT.
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