Construction materials testing
Universal Testing Machine (UTM)
A versatile machine that pulls, compresses or bends specimens while measuring force and extension. In construction labs it is mainly used for tensile testing of reinforcement bars to find yield strength, tensile strength and elongation.
- Construction materials testing
- Steel plants and rolling mills
- Infrastructure projects
- Fabrication and precast yards
- Academic and research labs
TROUBLESHOOTING
Common problems, causes and fixes
Bar slips in the grips
Likely causes
- • Worn or dirty jaw teeth
- • Wrong jaw size for the bar
- • Insufficient grip pressure
What to do
- • Clean or replace jaw inserts
- • Use jaws matching the diameter
- • Increase grip pressure within limits
Bar breaks in or near the jaws
Likely causes
- • Jaw teeth biting too deeply
- • Misalignment causing bending
- • Short grip length
What to do
- • Check jaw condition and alignment
- • Grip the full jaw length
- • Retest with a new specimen if the standard requires
Proof stress results scattered
Likely causes
- • Extensometer slipping on ribs
- • Extensometer out of calibration
- • Wrong test speed in the elastic region
What to do
- • Re-seat knife edges firmly
- • Verify the extensometer
- • Check speed settings against IS 1608
Force reading offset at zero
Likely causes
- • Not zeroed before gripping
- • Temperature drift of the sensor
- • Weight of grips included
What to do
- • Zero with only the upper end gripped
- • Allow warm-up
- • Follow the manual's zeroing procedure
Hydraulic machine loads unevenly
Likely causes
- • Air in the oil
- • Worn servo valve
- • Contaminated oil
What to do
- • Bleed the system
- • Service the valve
- • Filter or change the oil
In LimsPulse · Calibration Management
Keep every UTM in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.