Universal test system, testing fixtures provide standardized composites testing

MTS Systems Corp. (Eden Prairie, Minn., U.S.) is providing a glimpse of its latest innovations in composite materials testing, such as testing fixtures and the company’s MTS Criterion family.

Designed for ease of operation, adherence to worldwide safety and ergonomic directives, and a multi-language MTS TestSuite TW software interface, the MTS Criterion family acts as a foundation for establishing and sustaining global, standardized test procedures.

The Criterion 43 universal test system comes complete with grips and an extensometer. The system features advanced controller technology, with a data acquisition rate of up to 5,000 Hz, which is said to be five times faster than the company’s previous controller. This improvement enables more precise measurement during a test and can be valuable when testing brittle or composite materials. An update rate of 5,000 Hz is also capable of providing improved measurement control for stiff specimens. In addition, cascade control is integrated into all MTS Criterion Systems, providing load and strain control as well as displacement control.

MTS is also sharing information about a wide array of composites testing fixtures, such as the following options designed for compression testing: the combined loading compression (CLC) composite fixture for testing per ASTM D6641; the modified celanese compression loading composite fixture for testing per ISO 14126; method 1 option A or the IITRI compression loading composite fixture for testing per ASTM D3410; and ISO 14126 method 1 option B.

Additionally, MTS is highlighting contacting and noncontact extensometers, including the MTS Advantage Video Extensometer (AVX). The AVX is designed to deliver the flexibility, accuracy and repeatability needed in applications where it is difficult to measure strain using conventional means. This video extensometer combines several features for measuring axial and transverse strain on composites.

MTS experts can provide more information about these products or any MTS solutions for dynamic testing, including the MTS Acumen electrodynamic test system, MTS Landmark and Servohydraulic test system, plus, its high-rate, high-force, axial-torsional and planar biaxial test systems.