Torque tension testing

RS Technologies, part of PCB Piezotronics, has introduced LabMaster Portable Model 3210 for joint analysis torque-tension testing. Manufacturers who use threaded fasteners to assemble their products can benefit by using this system to verify the performance of their fasteners.

The LabMaster Portable is designed to test threaded fasteners and evaluate fastener coatings, lubrication, finish, and plating. The system will also analyze bolted joints and certify power tools. Combined with a torque-angle sensor and a thread torque-fastener tension research head the following measurements can be made: input torque, angle of fastener rotation, clamp load, and thread torque. Specific calculations can then be performed, including: thread friction torque, underhead friction torque, torque tension coefficient (T = KDF), thread friction coefficient, and underhead friction coefficient. The LabMaster also calculates statistics for a series of tests such as Standard Deviation, ±3 Sigma, Cp, and Cpk.

The LabMaster Portable comes with LabMaster for Windows® testing software, which uses a USB port to interface with a customer-provided laptop or desktop PC.

The system includes a durable hard shell case enclosure designed to survive a variety of manufacturing environments, a 4-channel data acquisition card that provides high-speed sampling, and a signal conditioning card compatible with most strain gage transducers and high-level devices.

Test setup is quick and easy employing full Windows® functionality with drop-down menus and point-and-click features. After set up, the LabMaster Portable module conducts data acquisition operations providing a real-time display to the operator. After the test is complete, the recorded data can be printed, plotted, and saved on the computer or archived on a network drive. Data can also be exported to Excel for further analysis.