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 Incorporated
in the TABER® Stiffness Tester is a pendulum weighing
system. Providing an accurate and responsive method for measuring
small load increments, this system is a critical component for determining
material stiffness or resiliency. Nine (9) distinct ranges permit
testing of materials that are extremely lightweight and flexible
(such as cellophane or thin metallic foils) to items that are very
rigid (such as plastics).
Test
specimens are mounted on the Stiffness Tester using the specimen
clamp. Located on the pendulum, the lower faces of the specimen
clamp jaws are exactly on the center of rotation. This ensures a
constant test length and deflection angle for accurate and repeatable
results. Both jaws of the specimen clamp are adjustable, so the
test specimen can be positioned precisely in the center regardless
of material thickness.
Force
is applied to the lower end of the specimen by a pair of rollers.
The rollers, which are attached to a driving disc located directly
behind the pendulum, push against the test specimen and deflect
it from its vertical position. The pendulum applies increasing torque
to the specimen as it deflects further from its original position.
All Stiffness Testers now include the ratchet stop roller which
aides in test set-up and reduces the potential for inter-operator
error.
The
test point reading occurs when the pendulum mark aligns with the
appropriate driving disc mark (7 ½° or 15°), which
points to the stiffness reading on the dial point. The final reading
will depend on the range in which the test is being conducted (which
dictates instrument set-up and the appropriate scaling factor to
use).
The
instrument outputs the moment load applied to the test specimen
in TABER Stiffness Units (g · cm).
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