Drop Impact Tester

Phil Black - PII Editor 11/07/2008

175 1 minute read

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Zwick recently introduced its new HIT230F instrumented drop impact tester for multi-axis penetration tests and compression-after-impact tests.

This machine is optimized especially for the requirements of penetration tests, e.g., in accordance with ISO6603-2 and ASTM D3763. The drop impact tester is equipped with a low-noise characteristic piezo force sensor. The sensor is located very close to the impact point to minimize the effects of the mechanical vibrations found in other instruments. An innovative pneumatic specimen gripping system allows the insertion and impacting of specimens in less than 5 seconds, and in many applications it is possible to avoid the installation of an expensive temperature chamber. The testing area is outside of the protective shielding and is easily accessible by the operator – but still optimally secured. An optional spring pre-load is available for additional acceleration to increase the impact speed.
The drop impact tester can also be used to initiate mechanical damage to long fiber-reinforced composites for the compression-after-impact (CAI) test. Additional tooling is available for this purpose. The compression test for determining the influence of the damage on the compressive strength is then performed on a static testing machine.