Patent Application
20140352452
The embodiments relate generally to testing systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for materials testing.
Materials (biomaterials as well as inorganic or organic materials) and devices (integrated circuits, LED, Solar cell etc.) need analysis to assess product quality, functioning, safety, reliability and toxicity.
Tensile testing, also known as tension testing, is a fundamental materials science test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure. The results from the test are commonly used to select a material for an application, for quality control, and to predict how a material will react under other types of forces. Properties that are directly measured via a tensile test are ultimate tensile strength, maximum elongation and reduction in area. From these measurements the following properties can also be determined: Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, yield strength, and strain-hardening characteristics.
A tensile specimen is a standardized sample cross-section. It has two shoulders and a gauge (section) in between. The shoulders are large so they can be readily gripped, whereas the gauge section has a smaller cross-section so that the deformation and failure can occur in this area.
Systems and methods for materials testing are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a system for materials testing comprises a communication interface coupled to testing hardware, an electronic user interface for facilitating the input of production requirements and a specification, and a display device for displaying results of tests conducted on the testing hardware, wherein the results are based in part on the production requirements and specification.
The systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. It is also intended that the invention is not limited to require the details of the example embodiments.
The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the present specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiment and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment given below, serve to explain and teach the principles of the present invention.
It should be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the various embodiments described herein. The figures do not necessarily describe every aspect of the teachings disclosed herein and do not limit the scope of the claims.
Systems and methods for materials testing are disclosed. Embodiments herein can be directed to materials testing including concretes, plastics, and metallic materials. Materials tests can include tensile testing, non-destructive testing (NDT), flexture testing, or testing of surface fixture, grain size, inclusion content, decarburization, structure, coercivity, as examples. Although embodiments presented herein are described as examples of tensile testing systems, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure can be applied to any appropriate materials test without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
The present systems and methods are directed to materials testing of metallic materials.
Standard functionality is provided for many part specifications and additional specifications can be easily configured. For each specification, minimums and maximums for ultimate tensile strength, yield tensile strength, elongation, hardness, and conductivity are setup by forging type and thickness. Test results, conductivity, hardness, and chemical analysis results are automatically imported and validated according to the specifications for each specimen/process. Once the job has been validated, it can be certified and printed.
According to one embodiment, tensile machines, spectrometers, and other testing machines are interfaced with the present system so that test results can be automatically imported and validated according to the test requirements. The test requirements are based on the configuration of the specifications. The test requirements can be modified to meet customer requirements if they differ from the specification. Using the present system, configurations and minimums are manageable by users. This allows jobs to be processed through test labs quickly, minimizing potential errors by lab operators.
According to one embodiment, data from all tests and validation results are stored in the present system, simplifying Failure Analysis (FA) Investigations. Using the stored information, problems in the lab can be quickly identified (such as equipment or procedural errors). If heat treating is performed in-house, then the failure analysis can be used to adjust heat treat and age cycles, minimizing the cost of rework and delivery times.
The present system not only improves efficiency, traceability, and reliability, but it also greatly reduces the chance of making errors that could be flagged by auditors and customers.
According to one embodiment, the production plan definition process 300 takes place in an exemplary part testing workbench interface (a user accesses the process via the interface). This includes the necessary processes, quantity, diameter, minimums, and maximums. The tensile minimums can be defaulted from the specification setup according to alloy, temper, forging type, thickness, and orientation. The user may add specifications to each process. As an example, for chemical analysis, the requirements are defaulted from the chemistry by specification setup. For each tensile process, the requirements are defaulted and can be overridden based on the customer's requirement for the particular part.
The planning can also be setup to print values in MPa instead of PSI. Email notifications can be setup to send to designated users upon completion of the test. This helps to prevent delays in shipments due to a lack of communication.
Validation rules are created to handle specification requirements that go beyond checking that the actual results are within the minimum and maximums. While the option for referee testing and low hardness are configured in the specification master (as an example), the validation rules are setup in a testing configuration. The validation rules are flexible to allow for many different requirements. One or more rules can be created for each specification or multiple specifications on the same rule.
A validation rule is matched by the specification, alloy-temper, orientations, and conductivity range. Each rule can be configured to check one or more conditions. For example, the Yield Strength can be configured such that it cannot exceed the “Minimum Yield Strength+119000” or a maximum yield strength can be designated for that rule (e.g. do not exceed). These rules are matched and checked during the validation process.
The validation rules are essentially a digital representation of the specification requirements. By using the validation rules, the process of validation is automated, streamlining jobs in the lab and minimizing the chance of errors.
The data imports are setup during the implementation and can be maintained in the system. The validation results can be viewed for each sample and show the criteria and validation rule that was used. The lab technician, or user, only needs to enter a minimal amount information such as the fracture location and which equipment was used.
Once the test has been validated (see
According to one embodiment, a standard certificate includes the data necessary according to ASTM B557-10 10.2. However, a standard certificate can be modified to meet various requirements. The certificates are written into a table that prevents deletion and is revision controlled for traceability.
Examples of test standards include:
Examples of customer specifications include:
Examples of test machines for use with the present system include tensile testing machines, spectrometers, high resolution cameras, among others.
Examples of manufacturers of test machines for use with the present system include, yet are not limited to United Testing Machines, MTS Test Systems, and Spectro.
Examples of additional modules for use with the present system include microstructure evaluation, grain flow analysis. These modules may not necessarily result in automated pass/fail output due to the fact that they include inspection of high resolution images. Pass/fail may be at the discretion of the operator.
According to one embodiment, specifications serve as the basis for all other functions. Included in an exemplary specifications interface are the specification master (800), tensile minimums (900), chemistry requirements, usage drilldown, and a read-only viewer.
According to one embodiment, a specification master interface (800) provides for the creation and maintenance of specifications. Information such as the specification's owner, type, verification method, approval date, and status are defined here. The specification revision is also maintained here and can have email notifications turned on when the revisions are updated. Files may be attached to the specification. If a copy of the specification is attached in the system, then the read-only viewer allows the specification to be viewed in a special viewer that disables printing or copying of the specification. This prevents unauthorized distribution of the specification and prevents the technicians from printing the specification to use a hard-copy reference.
According to one embodiment, the present system includes functionality to drilldown on specification usage by specification, revision, customer, and time period. This is very useful when specification revisions are updated. It is also useful for traceability and customer inquiries.
The tensile minimums are then matched and copied onto a part production plan. Minimums from the specification can be overridden based on customer requirements.
According to one embodiment, the present system includes administration tools. The administration tools provide for a great deal of configuration according to business requirements. This flexibility minimizes programmatic customizations that make upgrades difficult.
According to one embodiment, an administration module includes the following functionality:
Each transaction in the software stores the username and time stamp of the transaction. When creating a certificate, the operator is required to provide their credentials since the document is electronically stamped with their stamp identification. If corrections are necessary, the certificate gets a new revision number while maintaining the previous certificates for traceability.
According to one embodiment, the present system includes security. Because the server is located in an internal network, it includes network access. Compared to web-based solutions, this approach is generally more secure and reliable. Each user logs into the software using their own account. Users are only able to see menu items that are given to them by the administrator. Users are only able to modify records based on their role. If multiple organizations are setup, then users can only see data for their organization/site. Users can be managed and assigned to one or more organizations for multi-site implementations. Users are also assigned to roles in the software, such as read-only, user, or manager. Menus are individually configurable, by an administrator, for each user. The users also have the option to hide menu items if they are setup with menu items that they do not use.
Table 1 lists exemplary alloys for use with the present system, according to one embodiment.
The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions on a computer-readable medium. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray® disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.
Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may comprise a computer readable medium having instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may include packaging material.
Software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of transmission medium.
Further, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or base station as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a user terminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device can be utilized.
Systems and methods for tensile testing have been disclosed. It is understood that the embodiments described herein are for the purpose of elucidation and should not be considered limiting the subject matter of the disclosure. Various modifications, uses, substitutions, combinations, improvements, methods of productions without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention would be evident to a person skilled in the art.
