Customer
Our client leader in the performance stirrup field. This company is a reference in the innovation of performant and comfortable stirrups that ensure horse and rider’s safety.
Tested product
Stirrups
Stirrups are used in horse-riding. They are metal or plastic rings, attached to each side of the saddle, the horse rider puts his feet to lean on it.
Objective
Conceive a way to qualify stirrups in laboratories.
Problematic issues
First of all, the fatigue test bench is used to test stirrups during the development phase and to follow its production.
Then, the machine helps characterising a sample (to define the test product characteristics).
Solution and result
The test bench designed by our engineers was made to test traction on parts, according to slow cycles (tensile test from 4 to 7000 mm/min) or fast (fatigue test at 10 Hz).
A pull-type cylinder pulls the stirrup which is fixed to the machine’s body with a tooling.
The fatigue machine is controlled by a specific software developed for this bench by our programmers. The software helps in the making of “slow” traction cycles and “fast” fatigue cycles. It shows strength, position, frequency and the number of cycle. It also shows strength/motion curves and saves test measurements.
To ensure operator’s safety in case the sample breaks, the test enclosure has lateral panels and a glass door. An emergency button can immediately stop the machine if necessary.
The test bench can estimate the stirrup fatigue lifetime. Fatigue tests helps in characterising stirrup’s ability to resist to various cycles to emulate, as well as possible, real use conditions.
