IMPORTANCE OF THE GRIPS & FIXTURES

Holding specimens in the most uniform manner is one of the basic requirements for obtaining reliable and repeatable test results.

When selecting the best grips for a particular application there are a number of considerations. The specimen must be held in such a way that it does not slip within the grips nor should the specimen break at the jaw. Alignment of the grips is essential to ensure the forces are applied ‘in axis’ between the loadcell and the test frame. International test standards often define a type of grip to be used, which makes selection straightforward. However in most cases the choice of grip is often affected by the need to test a wide variety of different specimen shapes and materials. This situation lends itself to more ‘general purpose’ grips which can be tailored to several applications by choosing from a number of jaw faces to suit the material or component being held.