Material testing device for testing material samples

Abstract

Material testing device (1) for testing material samples (10), comprising - a first set of clamping jaws (2) and a second set of clamping jaws (3), between which a material sample (10) can be clamped, wherein at least one of the clamping jaw sets (2, 3) is movable relative to the other clamping jaw set (2, 3), whereby the material sample (10) is thereby broken and a first material sample remnant (10.1) remains in the first set of clamping jaws (2) and a second material sample remnant (10.2) remains in the second set of clamping jaws (3), - at least one discharge device (4, 5) for discharging the first material sample residue (10.1) and / or the second material sample residue (10.2) from the material testing device (1), characterized in that the discharge device (4) comprises a slide (4.1) which is movable laterally to the first material sample residue (10.1) and thereby discharges the first material sample residue (10.1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a material testing device for testing material samples.

[0002] To determine mechanical and technological test values, material samples are tested in a material testing device, for example, fully automatically, particularly in tensile tests. Sample handling is generally performed by a robot, which transfers the sample(s) to the testing device for testing. The sample(s) are clamped between the clamping jaws of the device and tested. Often, after the tensile test, material sample remnants remain stuck to the clamping jaws of the testing device and / or become wedged between them and the testing system. Even with fully automated testing, it cannot be ruled out that the robot will move into the testing device with the next sample and collide with the remaining material from the previous sample.Besides the standstill of the material testing device in the event of a collision, damage to it is also possible. For example, gripping arms can be used to grasp and thus remove material sample remnants. These arms cannot always reliably grip the end fragments of the material samples, and therefore, especially when the upper clamping jaw set is opened, these material sample remnants can fall onto sensitive sensors located below, such as sensors of the extensometer, potentially causing significant damage and requiring extensive adjustments.

[0003] Material testing devices are known, see for example DE 10 2015 201 993 A1.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a material testing device for testing material samples, with which fully automated processing can be ensured while maintaining high process stability.

[0005] This problem is solved by a material testing device with the features of claim 1. Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0006] The teaching of the invention relates to a material testing device for testing material samples, comprising - a first set of clamping jaws and a second set of clamping jaws, between which a material sample can be clamped, wherein at least one of the clamping jaw sets is movable relative to the other clamping jaw set, whereby the material sample is thereby broken and a first material sample remnant remains in the first set of clamping jaws and a second material sample remnant remains in the second set of clamping jaws, - at least one discharge device for removing the first material sample residue and / or the second material sample residue from the material testing device, wherein the discharge device comprises a slide which is movable laterally to the first material sample residue and thereby removes the first material sample residue.

[0007] By providing a discharge device comprising at least one slide which can be moved laterally to the first material sample residue and thereby discharges the first material sample residue, a high level of process stability and thus fully automatic operation can be ensured.

[0008] It goes without saying that both the first and second sets of clamping jaws consist of two clamping jaws each, which are movable relative to each other in order to clamp and release a material sample. Furthermore, at least one of the sets of clamping jaws is movable relative to the other set. This design is a standard implementation in material testing devices.

[0009] According to one design, the slide valve can be pneumatically actuated. Pneumatic drives are cost-effective to implement and are generally easy to maintain.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the slide is guided slidably in a guide that is spaced apart from the first set of clamping jaws. This advantageously ensures a safe and reproducible slide operation. The spacing from the clamping jaws prevents collisions, among other things. To detect all types of fractures, including those that can occur directly in the area of ​​the clamping jaws, the distance between the slide and the clamping jaws (meaning the shortest distance between the two) can be at least 2 mm, in particular at least 3 mm or 4 mm, and can be a maximum of 50 mm, 40 mm, 30 mm, or in particular a maximum of 20 mm or 10 mm. The guide can be integrated into existing parts of the material testing device as a kind of "groove," and the slide can be provided laterally with a kind of "spring" that can interact with it.For example, the tool block in which the clamping jaw is integrated can be provided with a suitable guide.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the discharge device comprises a slide that is laterally movable relative to the second material sample remnant. Preferably, the slide is pneumatically actuated. Preferably, the slide is guided in a guide that is spaced apart from the second set of clamping jaws. The aforementioned advantages also apply in this embodiment.

[0012] Therefore, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the material testing device comprises two slides, which may preferably be of identical construction.

[0013] According to the invention, a method for testing material samples is also disclosed, comprising the following steps: - Clamping a material sample in a material testing device, comprising a first set of clamping jaws and a second set of clamping jaws, - Method of at least one of the clamping jaw sets relative to the other clamping jaw set, whereby the material sample is thereby broken and a first material sample remnant remains in the first clamping jaw set and a second material sample remnant remains in the second clamping jaw set, - Discharge of the first material sample residue and / or the second material sample residue from the material testing device, wherein at least one slide is used which is moved laterally to the first material sample residue and thereby discharges the first material sample residue.

[0014] The designs relating to the material testing device are also applicable to the testing procedure.

[0015] The invention also includes any combinations of the embodiments and alternatives described above.

[0016] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing.

[0017] The drawing illustrates the invention using a schematic diagram. It shows, for example, that... Fig. 1 A schematic frontal view of a material testing device according to the invention for testing material samples and Fig. 2 A schematic side view of a material testing device according to the invention for testing material samples at different times during the testing process.

[0018] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of a material testing device (1) according to the invention for testing material samples (10). The material testing device (1) comprises a first set of clamping jaws (2) and a second set of clamping jaws (3), between which a material sample (10) can be clamped. A horizontal double arrow symbolizes that the respective clamping jaws of the clamping jaw sets (2, 3) are movable relative to each other. At least one of the clamping jaw sets (2, 3) is movable relative to the other clamping jaw set (2, 3), symbolized by a vertical double arrow. The material sample (10) is broken, leaving a first material sample remnant (10.1) in the first clamping jaw set (2) and a second material sample remnant (10.2) in the second clamping jaw set (3), see Figure 1. Fig. 2. The material testing device (1) further comprises at least one discharge device (4, 5) for discharging the first material sample residue (10.1) and / or the second material sample residue (10.2) from the material testing device (1). The discharge device (4) comprises a slide (4.1) which is movable laterally to the first material sample residue (10.1) and thereby discharges the first material sample residue (10.1), see figure. Fig. 2.

[0019] In Fig. Figure 2 shows a temporal sequence in the execution of the testing of a material sample (10) in a lateral schematic view of a material testing device (1) according to the invention.

[0020] At the start of the testing process, a material sample (10) is clamped between a first set of clamping jaws (2) and a second set of clamping jaws (3), which is arranged at a distance from the first set of clamping jaws (2). The clamping of the material sample (10) can preferably be carried out fully automatically using means not shown.

[0021] After the material sample (10) is clamped, the second set of clamping jaws (3) is moved relative to the first set of clamping jaws (2), in particular in a retracting movement, symbolized by a vertically upward-pointing arrow. During the relative movement of the second set of clamping jaws (3), the material sample (10) is fractured, leaving a first material sample fragment (10.1) in the first set of clamping jaws (2) and a second material sample fragment (10.2) in the second set of clamping jaws (3). After the material sample (10) fractures, a first slide (4.1) of the discharge device (4), in particular pneumatically driven, is brought into contact with the first material sample fragment (10.1). A second slide (5.1) of the discharge device (5) is also brought into contact with the second material sample fragment (10.2) after the material sample (10) fractures, in particular pneumatically driven. A movement of the first and second slides (4.1, 5.1)1) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially until contact is made with the respective material sample residue (10.1, 10.2).

[0022] In the present example, the first material sample remnant (10.1) is first discharged from the material testing device (1) by the first set of clamping jaws (2) releasing the first material sample remnant (10.1) and simultaneously actuating the slide (4.1) with pneumatic (over)pressure, thereby giving the first material sample remnant (10.1) a pulse such that it is discharged from the material testing device (1). The pulse is chosen to be high enough to ensure that the first material sample remnant (10.1) can safely land in a scrap container (not shown) located in front of the material testing device (1).

[0023] The second material sample remnant (10.2) is then discharged from the material testing device (1) by the second set of clamping jaws (3) releasing the second material sample remnant (10.2) and simultaneously actuating the slide (5.1) with pneumatic (over)pressure, thereby imparting a pulse to the second material sample remnant (10.2) such that it is discharged from the material testing device (1). The pulse is selected to be sufficiently strong to ensure that the second material sample remnant (10.2) lands safely in the scrap container (not shown) located in front of the material testing device (1).

[0024] The slide (4.1, 5.1) can preferably be guided slidably in a guide (not shown) which is arranged at a distance from the clamping jaw set (2, 3). For example, a tool block (not shown) in which a clamping jaw of the clamping jaw set (2, 3) is integrated can be provided with a corresponding guide.

[0025] A corresponding counterpart is then provided on the side of the slider (4.1, 5.1), not shown here.

[0026] Of course, the removal of the first and second material sample residue (10.1, 10.2) can also take place simultaneously, or the second material sample residue (10.2) can be removed first, followed by the first material sample residue (10.1).

[0027] Once the material sample residues (10.1, 10.2) have been removed from the material testing device (1), the slides (4.1, 5.1) are moved back to their starting position and testing of a new material sample (10) can begin.

[0028] The clamping of the material samples (10) as well as the removal of the material sample remnants (10.1, 10.2) can preferably be fully automated, in particular by appropriate programming of the control system of the material testing device (1). Thus, material samples (10) can be clamped into the material testing device (1) from a storage location (not shown) in the immediate vicinity of the material testing device by means of a handling device (not shown), such as a robot arm (for example). The material samples (10) are then fractured, and the resulting data is recorded in a database, which can be retrieved accordingly.

[0029] The discharge device (4, 5) according to the invention ensures that no material sample residues (10.1, 10.2) cause any kind of malfunction of the material testing device (1) during testing. This significantly increases the process stability of a fully automated material testing device (1), so that, particularly during an unattended night shift, the susceptibility to errors caused by residual material sample residues (10.1, 10.2) is reduced, and thus the setup effort is also reduced. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2015 201 993 A1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Material testing device (1) for testing material samples (10), comprising - a first clamping jaw set (2) and a second clamping jaw set (3), between which a material sample (10) can be clamped, wherein at least one of the clamping jaw sets (2, 3) is movable relative to the other clamping jaw set (2, 3), whereby the material sample (10) is broken and thereby a first material sample residue (10.1) remains in the first clamping jaw set (2) and a second material sample residue (10.2) remains in the second clamping jaw set (3), - at least one discharge device (4, 5) for discharging the first material sample residue (10.1) and / or the second material sample residue (10.2) from the material testing device (1), characterized by that the discharge device (4) comprises a slider (4.1) which can be moved laterally to the first material sample residue (10.1) and thereby discharges the first material sample residue (10.1). [2] Material testing device according to claim 1, wherein the slide (4.1) is pneumatically driven. [3] Material testing device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the slider (4.1) is slidably guided in a guide (6) which is arranged at a distance from the first clamping jaw set (2). [4] Material testing device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the discharge device (5) comprises a slider (5.1) which can be moved laterally to the second material sample residue (10.2). [5] Material testing device according to claim 4, wherein the slide (5.1) is pneumatically driven. [6] Material testing device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the slider (5.1) is slidably guided in a guide (7) which is arranged at a distance from the second clamping jaw set (3).

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