Universal Testing Machine

A universal testing machine, also known

as a universal tester, materials testing machine or
materials test frame, is used to test the tensile stress and
compressive strength of materials. It is named after the
fact that it can perform many standard tensile and
compression tests on materials, components, and
structures. The primary objective of this investigation is
to conduct a standard tensile test for determining the
stress-strain behavior of a material sample (mild steel or
aluminum) and to analyze the results of the tensile test to
find the mechanical/material properties of the sample.
The following tests can be performed with it:1. Tension Test.
2. Compression Test.
3. Bending Test.
4. Hardness Test.

Parts of Universal Testing Machine

The Universal Testing Machine consists of two main parts, the loading unit and
the control panel.
1. The Loading Unit:The loading unit consists of a robust base at the center of which is fitted the main
cylinder and piston. A rigid frame consisting of the lower table, the upper cross head and the two
straight columns is connected to this piston through a ball and socket joint. A pair of screwed
columns mounted on the base pass through the main nuts to support the lower cross-head. This
cross head is moved up or down when the screwed columns are rotated by a geared motor fitted
to the base. Each cross-head has a tapering slot at the center into which are inserted a pair of
racked jaws. These jaws are moved up or down by the operating handle on the cross-head face
and is intended to carry the plate (grip) jaws for the tensile test specimen. An elongation scale,
which measures the relative movement between the lower table and the lower cross-head, is also
provided with the loading unit.
2. The Control Panel:The control panel contains the hydraulic power unit, the load measuring unit and
the control devices.

a. The Hydraulic Power Unit:The

Hydraulic Power Unit
consists of an oil pump
driven by an electric motor
and a sump for the
hydraulic oil. The pump is
of the reciprocating type,
having a set of plungers
which assures a continuous
non-pulsating oil flow into
the main cylinder for a
smooth application of the
test load on the specimen.
Hydraulic lines of the unit
are of a special design to
enable them to perform
various functions.
b. The Load Measuring Unit:The load measuring unit, in essence is a pendulum dynamometer unit. It has a
small cylinder in which a piston moves in phase with the main piston under the same oil
pressure. A simple pendulum connected with this small piston by a pivot lever thus deflects in
accordance with the load on the specimen and the pivot ratio. This deflection is transmitted to the
load pointer which indicates the test load on the dial. The pivot lever has four fulcrum -knifeedges, giving four ranges of test load. The required range can be selected by just turning a knob
provided for the purpose. The overall accuracy of the machine depends mainly on the accuracy
of the measuring unit.
c. Control Devices:These include the electric control devices, the hydraulic control devices and the
load indicating devices.
o The Electric Control Devices are in the form of four switches set on the left side of the
panel face. The upper and lower push switches are for moving the lower cross-head up and down
respectively. The remaining two are the ON and OFF switches for the hydraulic pump.
o The Hydraulic Control Devices are a pair of control valves set on the table or the control
panel. The right control valve is the inlet valve. It is a pressure compensated flow control valve
and has a built-in overload relief valve. If this valve is in the closed position, while the hydraulic
system is on, oil flows back into the sump. Opening of the valve now, cause the oil to flow into
the main cylinder in a continuous non-pulsating manner. The left control valve is the return
valve. If this valve is in the closed position, the oil pumped into the main cylinder causes the

main piston to move up. The specimen resists this, movement, as soon as it gets loaded up. Oil
pressure inside the main cylinder (and elsewhere in the line) then starts growing up until either
the specimen breaks or the load reaches the maximum value of the range selected. A slow
opening of this valve now causes the oil to drain back into the sump and the main piston to
descent.
o The Load indicating Devices consist of a range inflating dial placed behind a load
indicating dial. The former move and sets itself to the range selected when the range adjusting
knob is turned. The load on the specimen at any stage is indicated by the load pointer which
moves over the load indicating dial and harries forward with it a dummy.

General Maintenance of Machine & Its Types

1. Breakdown Maintenance:It means that people waits until equipment fails and repair
it. Such a thing could be used when the equipment failure does not significantly affect the
operation or production or generate any significant loss other than repair cost.

2. Preventive Maintenance:It is a daily maintenance (cleaning, inspection, oiling and

re-tightening), design to retain the healthy condition of equipment and prevent failure through
the prevention of deterioration, periodic inspection or equipment condition diagnosis, to measure
deterioration. It is further divided into periodic maintenance and predictive maintenance. Just
like human life is extended by preventive medicine, the equipment service life can be prolonged
by doing preventive maintenance.

2a. Periodic Maintenance (Time Based Maintenance):Time based maintenance

consists of periodically inspecting, servicing and cleaning equipment and replacing parts to
prevent sudden failure and process problems.

2b. Preventive Maintenance:This is a method in which the service life of important part
is predicted based on inspection or diagnosis, in order to use the parts to the limit of their service
life. Compared to periodic maintenance, predictive maintenance is condition based maintenance.
It manages trend values, by measuring and analyzing data about deterioration and employs a
surveillance system, designed to monitor conditions through an on-line system.

3. Corrective Maintenance:It improves equipment and its components so that

preventive maintenance can be carried out reliably. Equipment with design weakness must be
redesigned to improve reliability or improving maintainability

4. Maintenance Prevention:It indicates the design of new equipment. Weakness of

current machines are sufficiently studied (on site information leading to failure prevention, easier
maintenance and prevents of defects, safety and ease of manufacturing) and are incorporated
before commissioning a new equipment.

Standard assessories of Universal Testing Machine

1. Extensometers:It accurately measures specimen extension during testing.

2. Deflectometers:Deflectometers are widely used for measuring deformations in three and

four point bend tests, on compression tests and for a variety of general purpose deformations.

3. Mechanical/Pneumatic Fixture grips:For metal tensile testing, beyond the wide

range of clamping systems mechanical wedge type grips are used frequently. A notable highlight
is the integrated adaptation system for compression plates, bending benches and power
analyzers.

4. Hydraulic Fixtures:It is for fast and slide-safe tensile tests according to national and
international standards, on worked and non-worked flat and round test pieces of metallic and
nonmetallic materials of all tensile strengths. Suitable for sheet, plate, rod, section, strip, straight
and curved wire, wire ropes, lace, cables, round and flat test pieces, round and section pipe,
technical textiles, fleece, plastics, rubber, leather, compound materials, fabric, grates.

5. Non-Contact Deformation Measuring Device:The laser speckle extensometer

uses laser light for the lighting of the test object. Thus, the system falls in the category of laser
measurement. The special characteristics of laser light, such as the collimating and interference
abilities are used for metrological purposes. The advantages of this optical method when
compared to conventional methods are that measurements are carried out without contact and
non-reactive.

6. High Temperature Furnace:The further development of high temperature materials,

as used in the construction of turbines or boilers for power stations or for aircraft engines, is a
central focus of material research. The materials used here must continue to exhibit significant
mechanical strength at high temperatures, in order to resist the effects of application forces. With
the effectiveness of every thermodynamic process increasing in line with temperature, there is
intense interest in constantly increasing the application temperatures.

7. Temperature & Climate Chambers:Temperature and climate chambers provide the

possibility of material and component testing under defined environmental conditions. The simulation
of temperature and humidity whilst applying distinctive loads to the specimen is of great importance in
material research, developing new materials and also for industrial quality assessment.