Customer
Our client is the world leader in steel production and mining. He is the first quality steel supplier for major activities.
Tested product
Steel specimen
A specimen is a test sample. Specimens tested with this shock bench are standardized for Charpy and Izod shocks regardless of the materials.
Objective
The objective is to be able to carry out impact bending tests in accordance with the NF EN 10045-1 standard, at high energy. These tests are carried out at high speed (production tests), in order to qualify all batches of manufactured plates.
The bench must ensure total safety for the operator while maintaining a high level of ergonomics.
Problematic issues
- To ensure automatic positioning of the pendulum as well as on-the-fly catch-up after impact.
- To ensure a very fast start of the test after positioning of the specimen by the operator, while ensuring a high accuracy of position of the specimen in relation to the hammer during the impact.
- Automate the calibration of the test bench
Solution and result
The bench is a pendulum impact tester compliant with the NF EN 10045 standard, with a U-shaped hammer that can be equipped with different masses allowing tests from 300J to 800J.
The machine is equipped with a motorised arm which ensures
- the positioning of the pendulum at the desired height (according to a speed or an energy)
- the automatic release of the pendulum
- the re-hooking of the pendulum on the fly after impact
The energy measurement is done by a very high resolution encoder.
Test cycle:
The motorised arm moves the pendulum at the desired height, then the safety door is unlocked. The operator positions the test piece on the support and closes the door. As soon as the door is closed, the system automatically initiates an automatic centering operation of the test piece, releasing the pendulum, measuring the energy, re-hooking the pendulum and repositioning it for the next test.
With this system, the specimen is broken in less than 5 seconds after the operator places it on the support, and in complete safety.
The operator's safety is ensured by redundant systems (double locking of the pendulum on the arm, automated exit of a safety stop, double control loops of the safety sensors, etc.) controlled by a safety PLC.
The machine is designed to allow rapid change of the knife and the specimen supports.
The software developed specifically under Labview by our engineers allows to :
- calculate and display the energy absorbed by the specimen, with automatic compensation for the natural damping of the pendulum
- display the tested measurements
- set up impact test instructions
- edit and print reports.
- automated calculation of geometric calibration measurements, damping, period of oscillation
