Hair testing apparatus

A tensile tester for strands of hair comprising a frame, a first movable member, a pair of parallel flat springs secured at one end to the first movable member and anchored at the other end to the frame for movably supporting the first member from the frame, a second movable member, means for driving the second member relative to the frame in a continuous uninterrupted cycle along a predetermined linear path extending substantially perpendicular to said flat springs from an initial position through a fixed displacement away from the first member and return to the initial position, means for securing a hair sample to the two movable members, a stop mounted on the frame and engaging the first movable member in an initial position, the flat springs urging the first movable member against the stop, a scale member mounted on the first movable member having a plurality of equally spaced indicia extending therealong, the indicia being spaced along a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the first member, first counting means including a first sensor mounted on the frame for counting the number of indicia passing the sensor with movement of the first member, and means responsive to said first counting means for generating a digital output of the number of indicia sensed by the first sensor, second counting means including a second sensor mounted on the second movable member for counting the number of indicia passing the second sensor with relative movement between the first and second movable members, and means responsive to said last-named means for generating a second digital output of the number of indicia sensed by the second sensor.