Many soft tissues, such as skin or collagen, are delicate specimens with low ultimate strength values. An effective testing system should be highly sensitive to low-force measurements and small displacements. Our ElectroPuls® Test Instruments offer the precision necessary for low-force testing of tissues and biomaterials in tension, compression, flexure and fatigue.
When testing at very low loads, load cell selection is vital to ensure the appropriate measurement accuracy and control. For loads in the sub-Newton range (e.g. down to 1 gram) an ultra-low capacity load cell can be used. In this particular case, we used a 1 N (100 gram) load cell in conjunction with the ElectroPuls E1000.
As well as correct load cell selection, the gripping system must be easy to use, lightweight and with adjustable gripping force to help prevent damage to delicate specimens. In the case of fiber test grips, the grips can be opened and closed in a controlled manner with the lightest touch. A specialized tension system is also used to set the correct gripping force. Careful component and material selection has resulted in a lightweight design that can be used in conjunction with the ultra low force load cell.
With the versatile design of ElectroPuls, it can be used to apply loads at more than 1000 N, as well as the sub-Newton loads required in this particular test. Such flexibility is only achieved by advanced algorithms that control the position of the ElectroPuls actuator. Using more advanced control features, such as Tri-Modal control found with the controller, load peak control is also possible.