All objects—from toothbrushes to umbrellas to the components of a space shuttle—experience forces throughout their lifecycles. In performing everyday actions like tying a shoelace or ripping open a package, we all exert forces without even realizing it. Forces are even more critical to consider in high stakes situations such as when injecting a syringe or flying an airplane. Regardless of the application where force is being applied, testing is essential to ensuring the safety and quality of every product, as well as the safety and quality of the materials and components they are made from.
Force testing is defined as the measurement of an object’s response to an applied force, typically until failure. In an R&D environment, force testing is used to compare materials, determine the strength of a given material type, or design products that meet ergonomic or other requirements. Additionally, force testing is commonly used across industries as a quality control measure to check that a given batch of product meets specification. Given the ubiquity of force testing across industries, it is important to understand how force is measured and how to measure it correctly.