PASCO Specialty & Mfg. Materials Testing Machine ME-8236 ユーザーズマニュアル

Materials Testing Machine

Operation

interface for data recording, and then turning the crank to 
apply tension (stretching), compression (squeezing), bend-
ing, or shearing (cutting) forces to the test item. 

There are two holes through the base of the Materials Testing 
Machine that can be used for bolting the Machine to a sturdy 
support. The two 6 millimeter (mm) diameter holes are 15 
centimeters apart; one on either side of the label. 

Bolting the Machine will avoid the problem of the Machine 
moving during a sample test. The Materials Testing System 
Storage Base (ME-8229) is designed for two purposes: pro-
vide a sturdy base to which the Materials Testing Machine 
can be bolted, and serve as a storage place for accessories, 
tools, and other items in the Comprehensive Materials Test-
ing System. 

The Storage Base includes two screws and two washers and 
has two threaded holes that match the spacing of the holes in 
the Materials Testing Machine base. Place the Materials 
Testing Machine on the Storage Base. Put the washers on the 
screws, and put one screw through a hole in the base of the 
Materials Testing Machine. Align the screw with the 
threaded hole in the Storage Base, and tighten the screw 
using your fingers. Put the other screw through the base and 
align it with the other threaded hole. Use a 7/16 inch (11 
mm) wrench to tighten the screws in place. Use C-clamps to 
fasten the Storage Base to a sturdy table or bench. An option 
is to bolt the Machine directly to a table or bench as shown. 
The Storage Base has through holes at each of its corners. 

The calibration rod and nut can be used for calibrating the 
Materials Testing Machine for compression or tension. The 

PASCO Capstone data collection software includes a “cali-
bration wizard” that allows the calibration information - 
called a “compliance calibration” - for the Materials Testing 
Machine to be stored for later use. (PASCO Capstone is pro-
vided in the ME-8230 Materials Testing System.)

NOTE: A PASCO Capstone workbook file about compliance 
calibration is available to download from the PASCO web 
site. Go to www.pasco.com and enter “Materials Testing 
System” in the Search window. In the web page that opens, 
select Materials Testing System. Click “Sample Labs” and 
then download the ZIP file for Lab 02.

Information covered in the Compliance Calibration Tutorial 
includes:

•

How a compliance calibration works.

•

How to create, save, and delete calibrations.

•

Hints and practice in making an accurate calibration.

The reason for the compliance calibration procedure is this: 
if the Materials Testing Machine were perfectly rigid it 
would give completely accurate measurements of force and 
displacement. However, the Machine is not perfectly rigid. 
To correct for the fact that the Machine “flexes” slightly, the 
stiffness of the Machine is characterized and a calculation is 
performed in the software to adjust the raw position data and 
compute the displacement that is due only to the distortion of 
the sample being tested. The compliance calibration infor-
mation for the Machine can then be stored within the 
Machine or stored in a Capstone file. 

The calibration rod will not change shape significantly under 
tension or compression. This means that any displacement 
measured when the calibration rod is used is due to the flex-
ing of the Materials Testing Machine itself.

For example, the sample graph shows that the Machine 
flexes 0.2 mm per 3,500 newtons of force when the calibra-
tion rod is stretched. If you use the Machine to stretch a 
material sample, then the “flex” amount of 0.2 mm per 3,500 
N would need to be subtracted.