Apparatus and methods for material testing

Abstract

To improve energy efficiency of a material testing apparatus.SOLUTION: A material testing apparatus 100, comprises: guide means 110; sample holding means 120 for holding a sample 130; force means 140 comprising a first actuator for applying releasable force to the sample 130; a crosshead 150 supported on the guide means 110 and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means 120 and the force means 140; an energy consumption section configured to store regenerative energy from at least the first actuator and including the first actuator; and a controller configured to control the first actuator to release force applied to the sample 130, where the first actuator is configured to output the regenerative energy according to release of the force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for material testing.

Background Art

[0002] A material testing machine (sometimes known as a structural testing machine) is used to test the physical properties of a material sample. The material testing machine uses sample holding means for holding the material sample and force means for applying a force to the material sample. Energy is utilized to apply a force to the sample via the force means and to impart acceleration to the movable parts of the material testing machine. A portion of this energy is retained as potential energy (e.g., a compressed spring) within the machine or as kinetic energy caused by the momentum of the movable parts. When the force applied to the sample is released or deceleration is applied, a portion of this energy flows back to the material testing apparatus as "regenerative energy". Typically, the energy is "burned off" as heat in a dynamic braking resistor, in which case this heat is wasted and contributes to the thermal load that this machine imposes on any climate control systems within the laboratory housing the material testing machine.

[0003] An object of the present invention is to alleviate at least a part of the above problems.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to the present invention, a material testing apparatus is provided, comprising: a guide means; a sample holding means for holding a sample; a force means comprising a first actuator for applying a releaseable force to a sample; a crosshead supported on the guide means and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means and the force means; an energy storage unit configured to store regenerative energy from at least the first actuator; and an energy consumption unit configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit, at least partially, wherein the energy consumption unit includes the first actuator; and a controller configured to control the first actuator to release the force applied to the sample, wherein the first actuator is configured to output regenerative energy in response to the release of the force.

[0005] Optionally, the energy consumption unit may include a second actuator. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to control the second actuator, which may be configured to output regenerative energy.

[0006] In some embodiments, the energy storage unit may include at least one energy storage device. In some embodiments, the energy storage unit may include at least one capacitor.

[0007] Optionally, the first actuator may be configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit to apply a releaseable force to the sample, at least partially.

[0008] The energy consumption unit may include at least one of a cooling system or one or more control electronic devices.

[0009] The present invention provides a method for operating a material testing apparatus, the material testing apparatus comprising: a guide means; a sample holding means for holding a sample; a force means having a first actuator for applying a releaseable force to the sample; and a crosshead supported on the guide means and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means and the force means, the method comprising: controlling the first actuator to release a force applied to the sample; the first actuator outputting regenerative energy in response to the release of the force; storing at least the regenerative energy from the first actuator in an energy storage unit; and consuming at least partially the energy stored in the energy storage unit by an energy consumption unit, the energy consumption unit including the first actuator.

[0010] Optionally, the method may include controlling a second actuator in the energy consumption unit to output regenerative energy.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method includes storing regenerative energy in at least one energy storage device of the energy storage unit. In some embodiments, the method includes storing regenerative energy in at least one capacitor of the energy storage unit.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method includes a cooling system or at least one of one or more control electronic devices consuming energy from an energy storage unit, at least partially.

[0013] Optionally, the method may include, at least partially, using a first actuator to consume energy from an energy storage unit to apply a releaseable force to the sample.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, computer software is provided which, when executed, is configured to perform any of the methods described above. Embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This figure shows a device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a circuit diagram based on one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows a controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows a method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Throughout this application, the reference to “sample” is intended to refer to a specimen, such as a material specimen for testing. A specimen can be a piece of material placed in a material testing machine for testing. The material testing machine can apply force to the specimen to test various physical properties of the material. A specimen can be obtained, for example, from the material manufacturing process as a sample of a material being manufactured.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a material testing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, collectively indicated by reference numeral 100. The material testing apparatus 100 can be configured to perform a method according to one embodiment of the present invention, as described below with respect to Figure 4. The material testing apparatus 100 comprises a sample holding means 120 for holding a sample 130, such as a sample holding device, and a force means 140 equipped with a first actuator for applying a releaseable force to the sample 130, such as a force device.

[0018] The first actuator 210 of the force device 140 is configured to apply a releaseable force to the sample 130, which can be used to test the physical properties of the sample 130. The first actuator 210 can repeatedly apply force to the sample 130. For example, the first actuator 210 can apply a deformable force or test force to deform the sample 130 by one or more of stretching, compression, or torsion. The first actuator 210 can be an electric actuator or an electromechanical actuator. However, other types of actuators are also conceivable.

[0019] When the first actuator 210 applies a releaseable force to the sample 130, it will be understood that at least a portion of the energy used by the actuator 210 to apply the force is retained within the material testing apparatus 100. For example, at least a portion of the energy used to apply the force can be retained as potential energy, e.g., as a compressed spring, or as kinetic energy caused by the moment of a component of the apparatus 100 that is moved to apply the force to the sample 130. When the applied force is released, for example, when the first actuator 210 releases the force applied to the sample 130, at least a portion of the retained energy is received by the material testing apparatus 100 as regenerative energy. Thus, the first actuator 210 outputs regenerative energy in response to the release of the force applied to the sample 130. The regenerative energy may be in the form of electrical energy.

[0020] Regenerative energy can be released when deceleration is applied to components of the apparatus 100 that are moved to apply force to the sample 130. Various components of the material testing apparatus 100 are moved to apply force to the sample 130. For example, force device 140, which includes a first actuator 210, can be moved to apply force to the sample 130. Therefore, when deceleration is applied to the first actuator 210, at least some of the energy, such as retained kinetic energy, is output to the material testing apparatus 100 as regenerative energy. The first actuator 210 can be decelerated when it reaches a physical limit that stops the movement of the first actuator 210, or when the first actuator 210 is controlled to stop via a brake or control signal.

[0021] However, regenerative energy may be excess energy in the sense that it is wasted energy that can be removed from the system. In existing devices, such regenerative energy is removed from the material testing apparatus 100 by, for example, "burning out" as heat in a dynamic damping resistor. Therefore, the regenerative energy is wasted and contributes to the thermal load that the material testing machine 100 places on any air conditioning control system in the environment, such as a laboratory, where the material testing machine 100 is located.

[0022] In embodiments of the present invention, the regenerative energy output by the first actuator 210 is stored in the material testing apparatus 100 for use. Therefore, it is advantageous that the regenerative energy is not wasted and can instead be used by the material testing apparatus 100.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the electrical system of the material testing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 2 shows a first actuator 210 of the force device 140, an energy storage unit 220, and an energy consumption unit 230. The energy storage unit 220 is configured to store at least the regenerative energy from the first actuator 210. When the regenerative energy is output from the first actuator 210, the regenerative energy is transmitted to the energy storage unit 220. For example, an electronic circuit is implemented, and in this electronic circuit, the regenerative energy output from the first actuator 210 is directed to the energy storage unit 220 for storage by using at least one switching device such as a relay switch or a solid state switch that directs the regenerative energy output from the first actuator 210 toward the energy storage unit 220.

[0024] In some embodiments, the energy storage unit 220 includes at least one energy storage device. The at least one energy storage device can include an electrical energy storage device or an electromechanical energy storage device. For example, the energy storage unit 220 can include at least one battery. The energy storage unit 220 can include at least one capacitor as shown in FIG. 2, but it is understood that this is only an example. Thus, when the energy storage unit 220 stores regenerative energy, this can correspond to at least partially charging at least one capacitor 220. When the energy storage unit 220 includes at least one capacitor, the energy storage unit 220 stores regenerative energy over at least a short period of time. However, the energy storage unit 220 can store regenerative energy over a longer period of time depending on the type of the energy storage unit 220, for example, when the energy storage unit 220 is a battery.

[0025] Advantageously, by accumulating the regenerative energy from the first actuator 210, the energy wasted by the material testing apparatus 100 is reduced. This is because the regenerative energy is retained within the material testing apparatus 100, in contrast to burning out as heat.

[0026] Advantageously, the energy storage unit 220 can include an array of "small" capacitors (where "small" can have a capacitance of up to, for example, 50 μF or, for example, 500 μF), for example, three or more, seven or more, or eleven or more. For example, an array of twelve capacitors each having a capacitance of 470 μF can be used. By using such an array of relatively small capacitors, the high-frequency response of the energy storage unit 220 may be improved, and thus the energy storage unit 220 may be able to quickly respond to the regenerative energy that arrives. By using such an array of small capacitors, an effect of impedance matching of the motor drive of the material testing apparatus 100 is provided, and undesirable transients and resonances in the power circuit of the material testing apparatus 100 may be prevented. It is understood that different-sized arrays with capacitors of different sizes can be used to achieve the same or similar advantageous effects.

[0027] As mentioned above, the electrical system in Figure 2 includes an energy consumption unit 230. The energy consumption unit 230 is configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220, at least in part. The energy consumption unit 230 is a device configured to consume energy to perform an operation. The energy consumption unit 230 includes a first actuator 210. For example, the first actuator 210 may be configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220 to apply a releaseable force to the sample 130. An electronic circuit may be implemented in which the energy stored in the energy storage unit 220 is transferred to the energy consumption unit 230 for use within the energy consumption unit 230. The energy consumption unit 230 may also consume energy from another energy source in combination with the energy from the energy storage unit 220. For example, the energy consumption unit 230 may consume energy from the commercial power supply provided to the device 100, particularly if the energy in the energy storage unit 220 is insufficient to power the energy consumption unit 230. If the energy storage unit 220 is at least one capacitor and the energy consumption unit 230 consumes energy from the energy storage unit 220, this can correspond to at least partially discharging at least one capacitor.

[0028] Advantageously, the energy efficiency of the material testing apparatus 100 is improved by configuring the energy consumption unit 230 to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220, because the material testing apparatus 100 can reuse energy.

[0029] In some embodiments, the energy consumption unit 230 may include a second actuator 230. The second actuator of the energy consumption unit 230 may be configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220, at least partially. The second actuator may be an electric actuator or an electromechanical actuator. However, other types of actuators are also conceivable. The second actuator of the energy consumption unit 230 may also be configured to output regenerative energy in response to the operation performed by the energy consumption unit 230. That is, the output of regenerative energy from the second actuator, i.e., the actuator of the energy consumption unit 230, is released during its operation. Therefore, the second actuator does not output regenerative energy continuously.

[0030] Therefore, the first actuator 210 and the second actuator of the energy consumption unit 230 may release regenerative energy. That is, the first actuator 210 may output first regenerative energy, and the second actuator 230 may output second regenerative energy. The second actuator may output second regenerative energy when performing an operation that releases energy.

[0031] In some embodiments, the energy consumption unit 230 may include at least one of the cooling system of the test apparatus 100 or one or more control electronic devices. The operation performed by the cooling system from which energy is consumed from the energy storage unit may be the operation of a fan, a heat pump, or a Peltier cooling system. The operation performed by one or more control electronic devices may be the control of other components of the material testing apparatus 100. It will be understood that the energy consumption unit 230 may include other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 so that the energy consumption unit 230 may include subsystems other than the provided examples of the cooling system and one or more control electronic devices.

[0032] At least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronic devices, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 can be configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220, at least partially. Furthermore, at least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronic devices, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 can be configured to output regenerated energy in accordance with the operation performed by the energy consumption unit 230.

[0033] In some embodiments, at least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronics, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 may include the second actuator described above. Thus, at least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronics, and any other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 may be configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit 220, at least partially. Furthermore, at least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronics, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 may be configured to output regenerative energy in response to the operation performed by the energy consumption unit 230.

[0034] Advantageously, if the energy consumption unit 230 includes multiple first actuators 210, second actuators, a cooling system, one or more control electronics, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100, the likelihood of the energy storage unit 220 overflowing with excess regenerative energy is reduced. Since multiple components of the material testing apparatus 100 consume the regenerative energy stored in the energy storage unit 220, the regenerative energy is reused across multiple components on the material testing apparatus 100.

[0035] The energy storage unit 220 can be configured to store regenerative energy output by the second actuator 230, or at least one of the cooling system, one or more control electronic devices, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100. That is, the energy storage unit 220 can store a second regenerative energy. For example, an electronic circuit can be implemented in which the regenerative energy output from the second actuator is directed to the energy storage unit 220 for storage by using at least one switching device such as a relay switch or solid-state switch that directs the second regenerative energy output from the second actuator to the energy storage unit 220.

[0036] The material testing apparatus 100 includes a controller 170 configured to control various operations of the material testing apparatus 100. The controller 170 is configured to control a first actuator 210 to apply force to the sample 130 and to release the applied force, and the first actuator 210 is configured to output regenerative energy in response to the release of the force. As described above, at least some of the energy used to apply force to the sample 130 is retained within the material testing apparatus 100, and the regenerative energy is output from the first actuator 210 in response to the release of the force applied to the sample 130.

[0037] The controller 170 can be configured to control at least one of the second actuator of the energy consumption unit 230, the cooling system, one or more control electronic devices, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100. The second actuator 230, the cooling system, one or more control electronic devices, and at least one of the other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 can be configured to output regenerative energy that can be used as the second regenerative energy, as described above.

[0038] The force device 140 can apply force via the sample holding device 120. In some embodiments, the force to be applied to the sample 130 is applied by moving the sample holding device 120. The force device 140 can be configured to apply force to one end of the sample 130, or to two opposing ends of the sample 130. The force device 140 can be adapted according to the force requirements and / or the shape and size of the material testing apparatus 100. The first actuator 210 can be configured to move at least one portion of the sample holding device 120 in order to apply force to the sample 130 held in the sample holding device 120 during use.

[0039] Referring back to Figure 1, as mentioned above, Figure 1 shows that the sample holding device 120 can be configured to grip the sample 130 and can be composed of multiple components so that the sample 130 is gripped when it is placed between the components of the sample holding device 120. For example, the sample holding device 120 may have multiple grips, such as claws, each positioned on the opposing ends of the sample 130. In some embodiments, a pair of grips is present.

[0040] The sample holding device 120 can be configured to withstand the maximum force applied to the sample by the material testing apparatus 100. Therefore, the sample holding device 120 can be constructed and formed from a material such that it does not deform under forces less than or equal to the maximum force applied to the sample 130. Thus, the sample holding device 120 can be adapted according to the force requirements and / or the shape and size of the sample 130 under test. The sample holding device 120 can be positioned horizontally or vertically depending on the type and amount of force applied to the sample. However, it will be understood that other structures and forms of the sample holding device are conceivable.

[0041] Figure 1 also shows a guide means 110, such as a guide, and a crosshead 150. The crosshead 150 is supported on the guide 110 and is configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding device 120 and the force device 140. Advantageously, using the crosshead 150 as support for other components of the material testing apparatus 100 results in a compact apparatus. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the force device 140 is supported by the crosshead 150, in that the force device 140 is positioned on the crosshead 150. Furthermore, the upper portion of the sample holding device 120 is supported by the crosshead 150, in that in some embodiments, this upper portion is suspended beneath the crosshead 150. The crosshead 150 can be adapted according to force requirements and / or the shape and size of the material testing apparatus 100.

[0042] The guide means 110 can be a guide configured to support the crosshead 150 and to guide the movement of the crosshead 150 relative to the guide 110. The guide 110 can be supported by the base 105 of the material testing apparatus 100. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the guide 110 comprises two stanchions extending vertically from the base 105 and spaced laterally apart by a length shorter than the width of the crosshead 150. It will be understood that the guide 110 can be configured according to the force requirements and / or the shape and size of the material testing apparatus 100. For example, the guide 110 may comprise one stanchion. Each guide in the illustrated embodiment has a substantially circular lateral cross-section, but it will be understood that other cross-sectional shapes of the guide means can be assumed.

[0043] The crosshead 150 can be made vertically movable with respect to the guide 110. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the crosshead 150 can be configured to move vertically along the two supports of the guide 110 in opposing first and second directions with respect to the guide 110, relating to the upward and downward directions along the guide 110. The crosshead 150 can be manually moved vertically with respect to the guide 110 by the user using a handle or lever, or it can be moved electronically using a crosshead drive means 180, which can be a crosshead drive mechanism. The vertical movement of the crosshead 150 with respect to the guide 110 can be referred to as the crosshead drive operation.

[0044] The crosshead drive mechanism 180 may include a combination of electrical and mechanical components configured to move the crosshead 150 vertically with respect to the guide 110. For example, the crosshead drive mechanism 180 may include an electromachine and may include a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the electromachine into linear motion of the crosshead 150 with respect to the guide 110.

[0045] In crosshead drive operation, the crosshead 150 is moved (e.g., lifted) to allow the sample 130 to be inserted into or removed from the material testing apparatus 100, and to accommodate samples of different sizes to be tested. The movement of the crosshead 150 relative to the guide 110 allows a portion of the sample holding device 120 to be adjusted according to the size of the sample 130.

[0046] In some embodiments, the material testing apparatus 100 may include clamping means 160, such as a clamping device, configured to apply a releaseable clamping force to the guide 110 in order to fix the crosshead 150 in a certain location relative to the guide 110. The clamping device 160 may include at least one clamping member (not shown) configured to apply a releaseable clamping force. The at least one clamping member may be configured to be at least partially movable and to contact the guide 110. As a result of the contact between the at least one clamping member and the guide 110, the clamping force may be a frictional force between the at least one clamping member and the guide 110. In some embodiments, the clamping device 160 may include an electric clamping device. For example, the electric clamping device may include an electromechanism that controls the movement of the at least one clamping member.

[0047] As shown in Figure 3, the controller 170 can be implemented by a processor 171 and a memory 172 containing a computer program 173 including computer program instructions 174. The processor 171 may include an output interface 175 through which commands in the form of data and / or control signals are output by the processor, and an input interface 176 through which data and / or commands are input to the processor. The implementation of the controller 170 can be in hardware alone (circuit), in certain embodiments it can be in software including firmware alone, or a combination of hardware and software (including firmware). The computer program 173 can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (disk, memory, etc.). The computer program 173 can be computer software configured to, when executed, perform the method described below with respect to Figure 4.

[0048] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of Method 400 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Method 400 can be performed using the material testing apparatus 100 described above and illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

[0049] Method 400 includes controlling the first actuator 210 to release a force applied to the sample 130. The force applied to the sample 130 is a releaseable force which can be used to test the physical properties of the sample 130. For example, the first actuator 210 can apply a deformable force or test force to deform the sample 130 by one or more of stretching, compression, or torsion.

[0050] Method 400 includes outputting regenerative energy (420) in response to the release of force by the first actuator 210. As described above, at least some of the energy used to apply the releaseable force may be retained within the sample 130. Therefore, when the force applied to the sample is released, the method includes outputting at least some of the energy retained by the sample 130 as regenerative energy to the material testing apparatus 100. In particular, method step 420 may include outputting the regenerative energy in the form of electrical energy that can be stored in an energy storage unit such as the energy storage unit 220.

[0051] Method 400 includes storing regenerative energy from at least the first actuator 210 in an energy storage unit 220, such as the energy storage unit 220 in Figure 2 (430). Method step 430 may include storing regenerative energy in at least one energy storage device of the energy storage unit 220. Method step 430 may include storing regenerative energy in at least one capacitor of the energy storage unit 220.

[0052] Method 400 includes (440) having the energy consumption unit 230 consume at least partially the energy stored in the energy storage unit 220. As described above, the energy consumption unit 230 includes the first actuator 210. Method step 440 includes consuming energy to perform an operation. For example, method step 440 may include having the first actuator 210 consume the energy stored in the energy storage unit 220 to apply a releaseable force to the sample 130 at least partially.

[0053] Method 400 may also include the energy consumption unit 230 consuming energy from different energy sources in combination with the energy from the energy storage unit 220. For example, Method 400 may include the energy consumption unit 230 consuming energy from a commercial power source or a battery. If the energy storage unit 220 is at least one capacitor and Method step 400 includes the energy consumption unit 230 consuming energy from the energy storage unit 220, this may correspond to discharging at least one capacitor. Method step 440 may include the second actuator, i.e., the actuator of the energy consumption unit 230, consuming the energy stored in the energy storage unit 220 by applying a second force to the sample 130, at least in part. Method step 440 may include the cooling system, one or more control electronics, and at least one of the other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100 consuming the energy stored in the energy storage unit 220 by performing an operation, at least in part.

[0054] Method 400 may include controlling a second actuator of the energy consumption unit 230 and outputting regenerative energy by the second actuator (450). For example, regenerative energy can be output when the second actuator releases force, for example, when performing an action that releases energy. That is, Method 400 includes outputting a first regenerative energy by the first actuator 210 in response to the release of force, and optionally outputting a second regenerative energy by the second actuator (420).

[0055] Method step 450 may include controlling at least one of the cooling system, one or more electronic devices, and other subsystems of the material testing apparatus 100, and outputting regenerative energy through the cooling system, one or more electronic devices, and at least one other subsystem of the material testing apparatus 100.

[0056] It will be understood that embodiments of the present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Any such software can be stored, for example, in the form of a volatile or non-volatile storage device such as a ROM, whether erasable or rewritable, or in the form of memory such as RAM, a memory chip, device, or integrated circuit, or on an optically and magnetically readable medium such as a CD, DVD, magnetic disk, or magnetic tape. It will be understood that these storage devices and storage media are embodiments of machine-readable storage devices suitable for storing one or more programs that implement embodiments of the present invention when executed. Accordingly, multiple embodiments provide a program containing code that implements a system or method as claimed in any prior claim, and a machine-readable storage device for storing such a program. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can be transmitted electronically over any medium such as communication signals carried over a wired or wireless connection, and multiple embodiments appropriately include this.

[0057] Throughout this description and claims, the terms “equipped with” and “include” and their declensions mean “include but not limited to” and are not intended to exclude (or do not exclude) other components, adducts, parts, completes, or steps. Throughout this description and claims, singular nouns include plural nouns unless the context requires otherwise. In particular, where no number is specified, this specification should be understood to consider both singular and plural nouns unless the context requires otherwise.

[0058] Features, wholes, properties, compounds, chemical components, or groups described in conjunction with specific aspects, embodiments, or examples of the present invention should be understood to be applicable to any other aspects, embodiments, or examples described herein, insofar as they do not conflict with such other aspects, embodiments, or examples. All features disclosed herein (including any appended claims, abstracts, and drawings) and / or all steps of any method or process so so disclosed can be combined in any combination, except in any combination in which at least some of such features and / or steps conflict with each other. The present invention is not limited to the details of any of the embodiments described above. The present invention also extends to any novel one or any novel combination of features disclosed herein (including any appended claims, abstracts, and drawings), or any novel one or any novel combination of any steps of any method or process so so disclosed.

[0059] The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents filed concurrently with or prior to this specification and made available to the public together with this specification, the contents of all such papers and documents by reference forming part of this specification. The inventions disclosed herein include the following: [Item 1] A material testing apparatus (100), Guide means (110), A sample holding means (120) for holding the sample (130), A force means (140) comprising a first actuator (210) that applies a releaseable force to the sample (130), A crosshead (150) is supported on the guide means (110) and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means (120) and the force means (140), An energy storage unit (220) configured to store regenerative energy from at least the first actuator (210), An energy consumption unit (230) configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit (220) in part, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes the first actuator (210), A controller (170) configured to control the first actuator (210) to release the force applied to the sample (130), wherein the first actuator (210) is configured to output the regenerative energy in response to the release of the force, A device equipped with the following features. [Item 2] The apparatus (100) described in item 1, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes a second actuator. [Item 3] The apparatus (100) described in item 2, wherein the controller (170) is configured to control the second actuator, and the second actuator is configured to output regenerative energy. [Item 4] An apparatus (100) according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the energy storage unit (220) includes at least one energy storage device. [Item 5] An apparatus (100) according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the energy storage unit (220) includes at least one capacitor. [Item 6] An apparatus (100) according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the first actuator (210) is configured, at least in part, to consume the energy from the energy storage unit (220) in order to apply the releaseable force to the sample (130). [Item 7] An apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes at least one of a cooling system or one or more control electronic devices. [Item 8] A method for operating a material testing apparatus (100), the material testing apparatus (100) comprising: a guide means (110); a sample holding means (120) for holding a sample (130); a force means (140) equipped with a first actuator (210) for applying a releaseable force to the sample (130); and a crosshead (150) supported on the guide means (110) and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means (120) and the force means (140), The method is, Controlling the first actuator (210) to release the force applied to the sample (130), The first actuator (210) outputs regenerative energy in response to the release of the force, At least the regenerative energy from the first actuator (210) is stored in the energy storage unit (220), The energy consumption unit (230) consumes, at least partially, the energy stored in the energy storage unit (220), wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes the first actuator. Methods that include... [Item 9] The method according to item 8, comprising controlling a second actuator of the energy consumption unit (230) and outputting regenerative energy by the second actuator. [Item 10] The method according to item 8 or 9, comprising storing the regenerative energy in at least one energy storage device of the energy storage unit (220). [Item 11] The method according to any one of items 8 to 10, comprising storing the regenerative energy in at least one capacitor of the energy storage unit (220). [Item 12] The method according to any one of items 8 to 11, wherein at least one of the cooling system or one or more control electronic devices consumes the energy from the energy storage unit (220) at least partially. [Item 13] The method according to any one of items 8 to 12, wherein the first actuator (210) consumes the energy from the energy storage unit (220) to apply the releaseable force to the sample (130), at least in part. [Item 14] Computer software that, when executed, is configured to perform one of the methods described in items 8 through 13. [Item 15] A computer-readable recording medium in which the computer software described in item 14 is stored in tangible form.

Claims

1. A material testing apparatus (100), Guide means (110), A sample holding means (120) for holding the sample (130), A force means (140) comprising a first actuator (210) that applies a releaseable force to the sample (130), A crosshead (150) is supported on the guide means (110) and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means (120) and the force means (140), An energy storage unit (220) configured to store regenerative energy from at least the first actuator (210), An energy consumption unit (230) configured to consume energy from the energy storage unit (220) in part, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes the first actuator (210), A controller (170) configured to control the first actuator (210) to release the force applied to the sample (130), wherein the first actuator (210) is configured to output the regenerative energy in response to the release of the force, Equipped with, The energy storage unit (220) is an apparatus including an array of capacitors.

2. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes a second actuator.

3. The apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the controller (170) is configured to control the second actuator, and the second actuator is configured to output regenerative energy.

4. An apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first actuator (210) is configured at least partially to consume the energy from the energy storage unit (220) in order to apply the releaseable force to the sample (130).

5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes at least one of a cooling system or one or more control electronic devices.

6. A method for operating a material testing apparatus (100), the material testing apparatus (100) comprising: a guide means (110); a sample holding means (120) for holding a sample (130); a force means (140) equipped with a first actuator (210) for applying a releaseable force to the sample (130); and a crosshead (150) supported on the guide means (110) and configured to support at least a portion of one or both of the sample holding means (120) and the force means (140), The method is, Controlling the first actuator (210) to release the force applied to the sample (130), The first actuator (210) outputs regenerative energy in response to the release of the force, At least the regenerative energy from the first actuator (210) is stored in the energy storage unit (220), The energy consumption unit (230) consumes at least partially the energy stored in the energy storage unit (220), wherein the energy consumption unit (230) includes the first actuator. Includes, The method wherein the energy storage unit (220) includes an array of capacitors.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising controlling a second actuator of the energy consumption unit (230) and outputting regenerative energy by the second actuator.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the cooling system or at least one of one or more control electronic devices consumes the energy from the energy storage unit (220) at least partially.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the first actuator (210) consumes the energy from the energy storage unit (220) to apply the releaseable force to the sample (130), at least in part.

10. Computer software, configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 6 to 9 when executed.

11. A computer-readable recording medium in which the computer software described in claim 10 is stored in tangible form.

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