Tensile testing is varied in purpose and industry specific. The manner of holding the test specimen and applying the axis of tensile force is what makes the application unique and enables quality assurance at almost any point in any product's lifecycle.
Physical testing is one essential step in the journey of any product from manufacturer to customer. In fact, it may occur at multiple stages from its design and development cycle through to production processes. For each business, the appropriate nature of the testing will vary. What defines being fit-for-purpose depends upon the role of the product in service and in some sectors that it has met industry regulations. In simple terms, functional performance is evaluated by the application of loading on the test piece and measuring the value at which something significant occurs.
This loading may be a force or a torque, applied to pull something apart, push it together or twist it in either direction. Tensile testing is the big hitter—using a universal testing machine (UTM) to apply an axial force to stretch or pull the specimen apart. The exact loading is facilitated by how the test piece is gripped, and how this axial force interacts with it. The fixturing accessories fitted to the test frame control this interaction and perform the precise loading required.