Retrofit of ILD
The Load – Deflection Tester is a P.C. based vertical compression machine with both load and displacement data acquisition capabilities. This same tester is also capable of automatic Indentation-Load-Deflection (ILD) tests. We have adapted the P.C. based control system and software package to our competitors' older machines. This system replaces the original mechanical data acquisition methods and provides control that is both automatic and considerably more accurate. It's a good and logical upgrade.
The vertical ram is electro-mechanically driven with a variable speed motor and is mounted to an X-Y manual gantry type arrangement with travel locks. The ram has both a displacement transducer and a load cell mounted to the lower platen, above the attachment adapter. The lower stationary mounting plate is ground steel and includes a 4" array of ½" – 13 holes tapped through it to clamp down test samples when necessary.
A special test table is included for the ILD portion of the test with pre-loaded springs in the four corners because it is necessary for the ram to touch the table at the beginning of the test to establish the test sample height. This special test table also reduces the possibility of overloading the load cell by pressing against a hard surface. The pre-loaded table can be compressed, but not until the pre-load value is exceeded, which is slightly less than the load cell capacity. The table also includes an array of vent holes in the top surface to allow trapped air to escape.
The P.C. based control system is free standing and housed within a rack mount enclosure. It operates in a Windows type environment and requires minimal operator training. It will run either a Load-Deflection test sequence or an ILD test sequence automatically, once the operator enters all the relative test parameters into the system.
Upon completion of either test, a test report is generated and printed out. In the case of the Load-Deflection test, this print out is in the form of a color plot with all test parameter information printed in appropriate windows around the border. It also includes the hysteresis energy calculation displayed in a window on the graph. In the case of the ILD test, the print out is more tabular because the final result is simply a numerical value.