Belt up with confidence thanks to new test system

Citation

(2003), "Belt up with confidence thanks to new test system", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 75 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2003.12775dad.006

Belt up with confidence thanks to new test system

Belt up with confidence thanks to new test system

Keywords: Safety, Testing, Materials, Equipment

Webbing materials are widely used to protect people and products, particularly during transit, so it is vital to test their strength thoroughly for compliance with health and safety regulations. Lloyd Instruments has now made this process easy to perform with a new testing system designed specifically to test the tensile strength and elongation at break of webbing textiles used in vehicle seat belts, safety harnesses, freight and logistics, sports applications, and general industry areas.

The new "Seat Belt Test System" consists of a powerful 50 kN (11,000 lbf) LR50 K universal testing machine, fitted with special split bollard grips for webbing materials. Also included is the IR750, the company's new non-contacting Infrared Extensometer that extends testing precision. This device simply plugs into the LR50 K and using proven Infra-Red optics, tracks in precise detail the extension movements of tiny markers placed on the test material.

Flexible test control comes from Lloyd Instruments' NEXYGEN^™ MT V4.5 software. With its vast library of international standard test set-ups, new features on this upgraded version include high multi-level security and audit tracking for total traceability of use access without any loss of data. Video capture and playback of live tests is a powerful visual tool for training and additional sample analysis purposes. Also included are LabVIEW® platform drivers, an expanded "Help Desk", and support for Mitutoyo and Heidenhain force gauges and Mettler balances.

The Seat Belt Test System brings speed, efficiency and repeatable testing precision to manufacturing, Quality Control and laboratory research environments. The system was developed originally for Ribbons Ltd, a leading UK company that supplies webbing materials to major European car manufacturers and other industry areas.

Mr Kerry Wescombe, Quality Manager for Ribbons Ltd explains: "We wanted a set-up that was just as easy to operate on factory floors as in the development laboratory. With this new system from Lloyd Instruments, we can now conduct tension and high-accuracy elongation testing modes on the same machine, unlike before. NEXYGEN is a powerful software tool also, that not only makes the task of switching between test set-ups effortless, but also generates data in great detail for comprehensive analysis and reporting".

Webbing materials must be strong yet sufficiently flexible for easy handling. For total safety and accuracy during testing, special sample grips are needed to prevent slippage during each test. Also, the "explosive" nature at the point of break can damage traditional contact extensometers, but this is not a problem with the non-contact IR750 device used in this system.