Short Beam Shear Test Fixture
AssigneeBell Helicopter Textron Inc.
InventorDavid L. Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The test fixture includes a housing, a first grip, and a second grip. The first grip and the second grip are each configured to clamp onto an upper surface and lower surface of a material coupon. The test fixture also includes an upper input jaw and a lower input jaw each configured to clamp onto the material coupon near a center of the upper surface and the lower surface of the material coupon. The test fixture is configured to load the material coupon in a first direction and a second direction. The first grip and the second grip are each configured to clamp onto the material coupon at a location which accordingly results in a desired testing ratio regardless of a variation in thickness of the material coupon.
Claims20
A test fixture for load testing a material coupon, the test fixture comprising:
- a housing having a first interior portion and a second interior portion;
- a first grip configured to clamp onto an upper surface and a lower surface at a first end portion of the material coupon, the first grip further being configured to mate against the first interior portion of the housing at a first upper slope surface and a first lower slope surface;
- a second grip configured to clamp onto the upper surface and the lower surface at a second end portion of the material coupon, the second grip further being configured to mate against the second interior portion of the housing at a second upper slope surface and a second lower slope surface;
- an input jaw configured to clamp onto the material coupon near a center portion of the material coupon;
- wherein the first upper slope surface, the first lower slope surface, the second upper slope surface, and the second slope surface each have a slope angle that causes the first grip and the second grip to contact the material coupon at a length location that is dependent upon a thickness of the material coupon.
A test fixture, for load testing a material coupon, the test fixture comprising:
- a housing;
- a first grip and a second grip each configured to clamp onto an upper surface and lower surface of the material coupon;
- and
- an upper input jaw and a lower input jaw configured to clamp onto the material coupon near a center of the upper surface and the lower surface of the material coupon;
- wherein the test fixture is configured to alternately load the material coupon in a first direction and a second direction.
A method of load testing a material coupon in a test fixture, the method comprising:
- positioning the material coupon within a housing of the test fixture;
- gripping the material coupon so that a first grip location and a second grip location provide a desired length:width testing ratio of the material coupon;
- and
- load testing the material coupon in the test fixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.