Torque testing is an important quality-control step in nearly every manufacturing sector. Properly testing rotary parts for torque with handheld or automated gages can prevent everything from un-openable bottle caps to loose fasteners. Or, in a grave example, if GM properly acted on failed rotational torque tests of ignition switches in some of its mid-2000s models, 13 lives would have been saved.
“Think of all the things in life that you use that require torque to be applied, to either release something or seal something,” says Dr. Patrick Collins, technical director, Mecmesin Ltd. “The lid of your toothpaste or bathroom tap; a bottle of water; your front door knob or lock; that satisfying feeling of the hi-fi volume control with just the right torque response that says ‘quality.’ The release spring on the flip-out car key; the gear-set on your favorite mountain bike; or just the lid of your lunchtime mayonnaise jar—all of these things require torque testing to ensure that they operate within parameters that allow the majority of people to use them.
One of the most common applications is for container lid removal or replacement.