TENSION For Windows User`s Manual 019a
Contents
1. A calculator is built into the program for making variety of calculations for two point bending Set the fiber and miscellaneous parameters appropriately and then enter one of the three parameters stress strain or faceplate gap The other two parameters will then be calculated Note the dependent parameter will be highlighted in yellow The calculator is useful for example when planning static fatigue experiments checking results etc Hardware Setup Window HARDWARE SETUP System Controller on COM4 Firmware version 0 13 Toggle output bits r Input bits Step open Open limit Low C Step close gt Step Close limit Low Direction Low Stop button Low Current Low Break detect Low Tick Low Contact Low Off Contact disable Low Cancel Toggle frequency This window is useful for checking the operation of the system electronics and interfacing The apparatus is controlled by several digital input and output lines from the System Controller Output bits can be toggled Step open Step close Direction Current Tick the position counter should count up the position counter should count down should have no noticeable effect the current high LED on the Stepper Motor Drive should blink on and off make sure the motor current selector switch is set to remote toggles the speaker in the System Controller so that the speaker gives a faint cl2. 9 Preload Parameters c c cscsssssssssssssssessssssssesesseeees 9 Experiment 9 9 Data Display 10 Export Data 13 Contents Loading Rate Graph 13 Graph Window 14 Set Zero Position 15 Wind OWE 16 Miscellaneous Options sceesecseeeceeeseeeeeneeeeeeeees 16 Configuration Files 00 0 ce 16 Calculatie innn nnan e a E as 17 Hardware Setup Window ssessesessseseesesssesrsreerererrsrsrrreerees 17 Load Cell Calibration ccc cececscseesceseeecsseceeeseceeereeseeeeas 18 How to Calibrate the Load 18 When to Calibrate the Load 19 Review Calibration Window 19 Calibrate Load Cell 20 Configuration 21 Troubleshooting 2 23 Unable to Communicate with System Controller via the USB 23 The Motor is Obstructed by the Vertical Mounting Bracke tace aret aaae e a
3. e Data Display Area When fibers are broken the results are displayed in the Result Table They are also saved to the current data file This section of the Main Window shows the name of the current output file for the results The file name includes the full path to the file if the result is too long to fit in the available space part of the path may be replaced by ellipses In that case simply hover the mouse over the file name and the complete path and name will be displayed in the tool tip which appears when hovering The Result Table The result table lists all results currently stored in the data file The table can be configured to your liking and the display can be manipulated in various ways The Result Table contains the following The first column is grayed out and can not be edited This contains the line number in the data file for each row measurement Note that even if the table is sorted in some order the data file contains the data in order of this line number N sequence number of the break Lt the total load applied to the fiber in newtons N This is the load supported by both the glass and the coating Lf the load applied to the glass fiber in newtons N This is the total load less the load supported by the coating This load is used to calculate the failure stress The total load and the fiber load will be the same if the coating EA product of coating modulus x area is zero 5 failure stress
4. details of your units might differ slightly from these pictures Rear panel connections for the Stepper Motor Drive TENSION for Windows User s Manual 4 Rear panel connections for the System Controller The serial line is connected to the Run port The Run Program switch is shown in the Run position make sure it is in that position TENSION for Windows Software Installation Run the SETUP program obtained from the Fiber Sigma website http www fibersigma com downloads or from the distribution CD in the TENSION directory If you want to use a USB port on your PC for connecting to the System Controller install the software supplied with the serial to USB adaptor Running the Software for the First Time TENSION for Windows can be used for 30 days before it will require activation activation requires a license number supplied by Fiber Sigma You do not need to activate the software immediately but it will stop a nagging message that appears when the program is started The software can be activated automatically if the computer has an Internet connection or manually if it does not If you select manual activation TENSION provides an Installation Code which is needed together with the license number to get an Activation Key which can be obtained by filling in the form at http www fibersigma com activation html This key permanently activates TENSION Note that the Installation Code must be generated by
5. MPa e failure strain nom nominal loading rate which might be in terms of capstan speed um s or stress rate MPa s or rate strain rate min capstan speed um s averaged starting at 80 default of the failure load error in the estimate of capstan speed um s strain rate de dt min averaged starting at 80 of the failure load error in the estimate of the strain rate min 5 stress rate ds dt MPa s averaged starting at 80 of the failure load error in the estimate of the stress rate MPa s fe time to failure time from start of experiment to failure s date date at failure format is year month day so that sorting in alphanumerically also sorts in date order time time at failure TENSION for Windows User s Manual 10 commen comments can be inserted in this column E df GL EA Eo Ea Preload start This single column contains a variety of parameters that are not normally needed themselves for later data analysis However they are included because they are all parameters that might affect the results they are included so you can check you used the right values for them Their meaning df fiber diameter um i e the diameter of the glass not the diameter of the coating or buffer GL gauge length mm EA product of the Young s modulus and sectional area of the coating or buffer N Eo zero strain elastic modulus 72 GPa for silica Ea first order strain
6. Make sure that the distance between the centers of the capstans measured along the fiber axis is equal to the gauge length specified in the Main Window 7 TENSION for Windows User s Manual 3 Take a length of fiber approximately one meter longer than the gauge length Wrap the ends around the capstans starting the wraps so that the fiber in the gauge length contacts the capstans along the line of action of for the load cell This line is defined by the axis of the screw connecting the capstan plate to the top of the load cell The load axis intersects the capstans approximately 1 4 of the way across the rubber tape on the capstans So wrap the fiber around the capstans for about three turns making sure the turns do not overlap and secure the loose fiber ends to the capstans with a small piece of adhesive tape 4 Set the desired loading rate If a stress or strain rate is specified the capstan will be moved at a varying speed designed to give the precise loading rate requested 5 Click Break fiber and wait until the break is detected If the fiber broke successfully select OK You will then be able to review the loading behavior in detail in the Loading Rate Graph window The TENSION Windows This section describes all the windows in the TENSION program The Main Window Export Data Window Loading Rate Graph Window Graph Window Set Zero Position Window Options Window Calculator Hardware Setup Window Review Calibratio
7. User s Manual 6 Quick Start Refer to the Hardware Installation section for setting up the translation stage and load cell assemblies 1 Make sure the Stepper Motor Drive is turned off the switch is on the back panel next to the power receptacle For AC line powered versions of the Stepper Motor Drive shipped prior to mid 2005 make sure the correct AC voltage is selected on the input power module the white triangle should point to the correct voltage If it does not carefully pry the fuse holder assembly out of the power entry module rotate through 180 and insert back into the module Make sure it contained a fuse Versions of the Stepper Motor Drive shipped starting mid 2005 are powered by a 24 VDC universal power supply which can be powered by both 110 and 220 240 VAC power Connect the translation stage to the Stepper Motor Controller using the black sleeved cable with circular connectors on the end The plug of each connector should be gently pushed into the receptacle and rotated until the mating notches align the plug will then move further into the receptacle housing Then rotate the locking ring clockwise until it clicks This cable carries the power to the stepper motor and well as the signals for the hard limit switches in the translation stage which stop the stage being moved too far Never connect or disconnect this cable while power is applied to the stepper motor Put all switches on the Stepper Motor
8. can recover the last translation stage position from the System Controller Run to close limit Click this button to move the translation stage to 500 um from the limit of its travel this maximize the travel available for loading the fiber Set position 15 TENSION for Windows User s Manual If the software is stopped it loses information on the capstan position If the position is known the position displayed on the Stepper Motor Drive is known to be correct use this option to enter the current position of the faceplates Options Window m Configuration files Miscellaneous Configuration files are used to load program Noisy click when motor steps configuartion parameters automatically They avoid the need to manually set up various inside ReverseSense reverse motor the program Maximum step rate 50 as Read file Read configuration file Sound to play when White file Write all configurable a fiber breaks parameters to file Write changes Write only changes from default values eet einai Reset all parameters to their default values This window is used to set various options Miscellaneous Options Noisy If this option is checked then the System Controller clicks when each step is taken by the motor This provides auditory feedback on the progress of an experiment If the clicking buzzing is annoying clear this box ReverseSense reverse motor Wh
9. diagnostic information related to the load cell calibration It is also used for generating and visualizing calibration data The Calibration parameters section shows the calibration parameters currently used by TENSION as well as the parameters resulting from the calibration measurements currently being made The Add remove calibration points section is where you can enter the mass of the weight currently applied to the load cell It permits entry in any of three units which can be mixed and matched The signal is shown wait until the signal stabilizes before clicking Add point It will stabilize faster if the weight is not swinging A bad point can be removed by clicking Remove point after which the row of the bad point needs to be given A bad point can also be removed by right clicking on its row in the data grid The analog to digital A D channel to be used can be changed by clicking the A D Channel button Any calibration points will be deleted when the A D channel is changed Channel 0 is the default and it uses the entire measurement range of the load cell Channel has twice the gain and channel 2 has five times the gain of channel 0 Graphs The calibration points are displayed both in the data grid and in the graphs on the right The upper graph is the A D converter output signal in arbitrary units versus the applied load N The blue line is a regression fit to the data The lower graph show the residues for the regression fit versus
10. vertical lines the bar can be dragged to select any column width Resize one or all columns to fit Right click anywhere in the column and select Fit width of column nnn and the column width will be set to a minimum that still makes all data in that column visible Select Fit all column widths to perform the same action on all columns of the table Hide a column 11 TENSION for Windows User s Manual Resize the column to its minimum width or right click in the column and select Hide column nnn Make all columns visible To make all hidden columns visible right click anywhere in the table and select Unhide all columns Select a block or column To select a single column click in the column header To select multiple columns click in the left column header and drag the mouse and release it in the right column header or vice versa Note when a column or columns are selected all cells in those columns are selected even if some rows are not visible because the table is scrolled Note when multiple columns are selected hidden columns between them are not selected To select a block of cells in the table click in one corner of the block drag the mouse and release it in the opposite corner of the block Copy data to clipboard The selected block or column of data can be copied to the clipboard by typing Ctrl C by right clicking anywhere in the result table and selecting Copy selection to clipboar
11. 107 33 62 21 05 06 10 ef 4125 500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 139 139 14 03 14 03 1143 4 1 5188 50 52845 2347 253 63 000 32378 27 05 06710 14 36 47 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 140 140 16 37 16 37 1334 1 1 7600 50 um s _ 61 650 10 911 60494 3 799 796 01 51 03 48 05 06 10 14 38 31 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 141 141 13 80 19 80 1613 21 2 1073 50 0 0000 0 0000 0 0000 00000 0 0000 0 0000 3 5 05 06710 15 10 57 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 142 142 25 57 25 57 20838 2 6783 _50um s 53218 5 423 25287 1 719 34815 23 38 56 05 06 10 af 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 143 143 14 06 14 06 1146 1 1 52221 50 51 301 1 114 7 7901 03119 101 27 407 71 05 06 10 15 15 14 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 144 144 65 88 65 88 5368 7 5 2752 500 49981 002 3 5194 00017 56 740 0 005 102 05 06 10 21 02 48 1125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 145 145 66 14 66 14 5389 21 5 2959 52218 0 08 3 7201 00019 60028 0 008 88 05 06 10 21 08 25 125500 072 3 05 06 10 146 146 66 05 66 05 5381 8 5 2884 500 499 79 0 01 3 6690 0 0017 56 842 0025 99 o5706 10 21 25 09 125500 072 3 ON 05 06 10 4 TENSION for Windows User s Manual 8 This window is at the heart of the program Experiments are run from this window and other windows are all accessed from here The main window displays all key experimental parameters These sections of the main window are d
12. Drive and Bend Control Unit to their default positions SMD Motor Current to remote SMD Local Control to remote Install the TENSION for Windows software by running the setup program Connect a D25 male female cable between the Stepper Motor Drive and the connector on the rear of the System Controller use the cable with orange labels and plug the female end into the socket on the rear of the Stepper Motor Drive labeled PC in orange Make sure the power switch on the System Controller is up off Connect the power supply to the connector on the rear panel Set the switch on the rear of the System Controller to run 9 Connect the D9 male female cable between the connector on the rear of the System Controller and a 10 11 serial port on the PC If the PC s serial port has a 25 pin female connector use the 25to 9 pin adapter provided If a USB port is used instead of a serial port install the serial to USB adapter using the software provided Follow the instructions exactly Power on the System Controller Checking Hardware Operation Before attempting to break any fibers go to the Hardware Setup Window and make sure that all input and output functions are operating correctly You are now ready to break your first fiber Breaking Your First Fiber 1 Check that the fiber diameter and other parameters are correctly set in the Main Window Click Load fiber and wait until the capstan has finished moving
13. E 23 Missing Features and Known Bu 5 scscssscseeeceeeeeeeeeees 23 Histo oaa n e oa eae 23 1 TENSION for Windows User s Manual Introduction TENSION for Windows Software Version 0 19 Warning Operating This Equipment Can Be Hazardous Both the operator of the equipment and any other personnel in the same room must wear protective eyewear When the fiber breaks it shatters into several fragments which can have considerable kinetic energy potentially injuring people not involved with the measurement Tensile testing is conceptually the simplest method for measuring the strength of a fiber specimen However the difficulty is gripping the ends of the fiber without causing damage and preferential failure at the grips The most common solution for this problem is to wrap the fiber around a rubber coated capstan the capstan effect means that the tension in the fiber is gradually transferred onto the capstan over two or three turns of the fiber so that stress concentrations are eliminated The load applied to the fiber is measured using a precision load cell When the fiber breaks the load cell signal drops abruptly and this event is used by the controlling computer to signify failure The peak load is recorded and used to calculate the failure stress i e the strength Hardware Installation The Tensile Test Equipment is shipped almost fully assembled However the load cell assembly and the translation stage
14. Excel or SigmaPlot The graphs shown depend on the type of experiment The above examples are for a constant capstan speed Because of slippage of the fiber over the capstans a constant speed does not result in a constant loading rate However when the type of experiment is set to a stress or strain rate in the Loading Rate Parameters section of the main window the speed of the stepper motor is servo controlled to obtain the precise loading rate requested Double clicking on any of the three graphs shows a bigger version of the graph in the Graph Window Graph Window The graph window provides a detailed view of several different kinds of data Depending on the loading mode set in the Loading Rate Parameters section of the main window the graph window can show fiber load stress strain or capstan position versus time Also it is used to display details of load cell calibration data from the Calibrate Load Cell window This graph window is opened by double clicking one of the graphs in the other windows TENSION for Windows User s Manual 14 r 6000 hH SPEED vs TIME 10 x 5000 4000 3000 specd ums stress MPa 2000 1000 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 time 5 j Copy j The above graphs are examples taken from servo controlled constant stress rate experiment Because of slippage at the capstans a constant loading rate is not achieved by a cons
15. FIBER SIGMA 105 Hillcrest Road Flemington New Jersey 08822 7173 U S A Tel 908 377 0763 Fax 908 359 5735 E mail info fibersigma com Web http vwww fibersigma com TENSION for Windows CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OPTICAL FIBER TENSILE TEST APPARATUS USER S MANUAL For TENSION software version 0 19 Version 0 19a August 2010 Contents Contents RWS Res 1 TUG AUCTION 2 Hardware Installation ccccccccessssssscsccessessssscsecessesssessessees 2 Hardware Assembly 3 Hardware Assembly Vertical 3 Electrical 3 TENSION for Windows Software 5 Running the Software for the First 5 Uninstalling TENSION for 6 Updating the System Controller 6 QUICK Start 7 Checking Hardware Operation 7 Breaking Your First Fiber ccecccsceeseceeeeseeeneeeeeeenees 7 The TENSION Windows 8 Main Window cccccccccscccseesssssceseccssssssscsseessesseesees 8 Performing an Experiment 9 Loading Rate
16. Sigma TENSION by default The file name is SC nnn BIN where nnn is the firmware version which normally matches the TENSION version 2 Turn off the System Controller 3 Move the Run Program switch to Program it is a locking switch pull the switch paddle out to release the lock 4 Connect the System Controller Program port to a serial port on the PC or to the USB Serial adapter cable 5 Turn on the System Controller Wait until the power LED on the controller starts blinking 6 In the same directory run the RFU EXE program i From the menu select Setup Communications and select the COM port that the System Controller is connected to Leave the baud rate at its default value of 19200 From the menu select File Load Flash Image and browse to the image file located in step 1 iii If there are any error messages check that you have selected the correct COM port and that the three files COLDLOAD BIN FLASH INI and PILOT BIN are in the Program Files FiberSigma TENSION directory and that the correct locations are given for these three files in the Setup File Locations menu 7 Turn off the System Controller 8 Move the Run Program switch to Run 9 Turn on the System Controller 10 Connect the System Controller Run port to a serial port on the PC or to the USB Serial adapter cable The power LED on the System Controller should be on steadily If it is flashing carefully repeat the above steps TENSION for Windows
17. VDC 2 A power brick 5 Connect the D25 male female cable orange markings between the male connector on the Stepper Motor Drive and the female connector on the System Controller 6 Turn off the System Controller power switch on the front panel is up and check that the Program Run switch on the rear panel is set to Run 7 Connect the power supply to the System Controller using the socket on the rear panel The power plug has purple markings Two power supply versions are in use one is a dual 5 and 12 VDC supply with a 5 pin DIN plug the other is a 24 VDC power brick with a 2 1 mm female plug In the latter case do not confuse the supply with the supply used for the Stepper Motor Drive the Stepper Motor Drive supply is capable of providing greater than 2 A of current while the System Controller supply is approximately A 8 Connect the D9 male female cable green markings between the female Run socket on the rear of the System Controller and a serial port on the PC 9 If the PC does not have a serial port install the RS232 USB adapter carefully following the instructions provided with the adapter Once the adapter is connected to a USB port connect the D9 male female cable green markings between the female Run socket on the rear of the System Controller and the RS232 USB adapter 10 Connect the load cell to the socket on the rear of the System Controller Check that the connections resemble those in the following pictures
18. axis It is also the distance between where the fiber attaches to the faceplates Rate calc This parameter determines how much of the load time data are used to calculate the actual loading rate achieved Loading rates are calculated from all data that exceed this portion of the failure load For the default of 80 it means that the top 20 of that data are used for rate calculations FOTP 28 specifies 80 of the failure load Specimen number This is the index number for the next specimen to be broken This index number is the parameter N in the first column of the Result Table Fiber Parameters Fiber diameter Sets the fiber diameter in um This is the diameter of the glass in the fiber Coating EA 9 TENSION for Windows User s Manual This is the product of the Young s modulus and the cross sectional area of the polymer coating It is used to calculate how much of the applied load is supported by the glass and how much by the coating Modulus This is the elastic modulus of the glass in the limit of zero strain Eo in GPa The default value is 72 GPa for silica Modulus a This is the coefficient which describes the strain dependence of the elastic modulus The default value is 3 for silica The elastic modulus Young s modulus of silica E varies with strain e according to the equation E 1 TENSION calculates the stress in the fiber surface s using this strain dependent modulus s Ee Ey
19. be constructed using a plain text editor such as NotePad As a starting template you can create a file containing all available configuration parameters using the write configuration file option You can then delete irrelevant parameters and adjust others as necessary A complete list of Configuration File Parameters follows Configuration File Parameters The available configuration parameters are listed below together with their default values Note however that many parameters are saved when the TENSION program is closed ExptType 0 This parameter specifies what type of measurement should be made 0 constant capstan speed 1 constant stress rate 2 constant strain rate 3 constant stress static fatigue ExptSpeed 5000 Specifies the capstan speed in um s for a constant speed experiment ExptStressRate 60 Specifies the stress rate in MPa s for a constant stress rate experiment ExptStrainRate 50 Specifies the strain rate in min for a constant strain rate experiment PreloadType 0 Specifies how the preloading is defined 0 no preloading 1 load 2 stress 3 strain PreloadLoad 0 Specifies the preload load in N PreloadStress 0 Specifies the preload stress in MPa PreloadStrain 0 Specifies the preload strain in SpecimenCount 1 Sets the index number of the next fiber to be broken WaitBeforeBreak 0 Not yet implemented FiberDiameter 125 Diameter of the fiber in um This is the
20. by the servo control used for the constant stress rate and constant strain rate modes It is used to calculate the starting speed of the capstan before servo control takes over A compliance factor of one would be for a fiber that does not slip and for infinitely rigid capstans including the rubber coating This is never achieved If this parameter is badly wrong the servo system will take some time to settle on the correct loading rate If the capstan starts too slow and then speeds up too much and overshoots increase the compliance factor If the capstan starts too fast slows up and undershoots decreasse this parameter The default of 1 3 is good for many situations and works well for 125 amp micro m diameter glass fibers and a 500mm gauge length This parameter is used by the servo control used for the constant stress rate and constant strain rate modes The capstan moves at a constant speed until this load in newtons N is reached the software then switches to servo control mode This parameter stops the servo control system overreacting when there is some slack in the fiber This parameter might need to be reduced for weak fiber The loading rates are calculated from the load time data starting at this percentage of the failure load i e for the default of 80 it means the top 20 of the data are considered This is specified for example by FOTP 28 S99 Troubleshooting This section lists some common problems encountered by user
21. correction to the elastic modulus 3 for silica Prelo the amount of preloading rapidly applied to the fiber before the specified loading rate is ad applied Depending on how the preload is specified it might be in N MPa or start date and time the measurement is started Result Table Actions WohnMy Documents B 2POINTW chk1 dat 1 8463 1381 5 339 37 46361 60 000 4 76 03 09 03 09 04 06 04 06 A Copy selection to clipboard 110 i605 682 Edit comment for row 46 Sort column um s Hide column v um s Unhide all columns Fit width of column v Fit all column widths Several actions can be used to customize the data display export the data or add comments Many of these actions can be performed by right clicking anywhere in the table The above context sensitive menu is shown The contents of the menu depend on the cell that was right clicked on Some of these actions can be performed in other ways such as using the keyboard or the menu Sort data Double click a column header to sort the table by that column To sort descending double click the column header again Alternatively right click anywhere in the column and select Sort column nnn Repeat to sort descending Resize a column Hover the mouse over the vertical bar on the right of the column title When the mouse cursor turns into two
22. d or by clicking the Export data button which opens the Export Data Window and setting the data destination to the clipboard For the first two methods the items within a selected row are separated by tab characters and rows are separated by new line characters carriage returns Any item such as a comment containing a space or comma is wrapped in double quotes This format is suitable for immediately pasting into e g Excel Add edit comment To add or edit a comment in a row click in the comment cell and start typing or right click anywhere in the row and select Edit comment for row nn Delete a row No mechanism is provided for deleting a row this avoids accidental deletion If you want to ignore a result add a comment to the row reminding you to do this during data reduction This approach keeps a record or any data that are later ignored and avoids any accusation of data editing Data File Functions Open data file Use this to change the file being used to save results If the file does not exist already a new one is created Save data file Saves the contents of the current results to a file That file becomes the new file for saving results Export data Opens the Export Data Window Review last Reopens the Loading Rate Graph window for the last specimen TENSION for Windows User s Manual 12 Export Data Window EXPORT DATA Data can be saved to a file in the standard separated va
23. diameter of the glass it is the diameter at the position where the fracture initiates Modulus 72 Elastic modulus of the glass in the limit of zero strain in GPa The value of 72 is appropriate for fused silica See the Fiber Parameters section for more information ModulusA 3 This dimensionless parameters describes how the elastic modulus of the fiber varies with strain The value of 2 125 is appropriate for silica being deformed in bending See the Fiber Parameters section for more information 21 TENSION for Windows User s Manual CoatingEA 0 Noisy True HiCurrRate 10 Reversesense False MinBreakLoad 5 BreakFactor 0 5 GaugeLength 500 ComplianceFactor 1 3 inServoLoad 0 5 RateCalculation 80 TENSION for Windows User s Manual This parameter is the product of the Young s modulus and cross sectional area of the polymer coating on the fiber in newtons N It is used to calculate how much of the applied load is supported by the coating and how much by the fiber For many systems the coating stiffness is negligible compared to the fiber so the value of zero is acceptable For multiple concentric polymer coatings simply add the modulus x area for each layer to get the total EA If this parameter is set to true then the System Controller clicks when each step is taken by the motor This provides auditory feedback on the progress of an experiment If the clicking buzzing is annoying set this param
24. en checked the sense of the translation stage motor rotation are reversed This can be used if custom faceplates are mounted at the motor end of the translation stage instead of the other end Note that the position displayed by the Stepper Motor Drive will be the negative of the value shown by TENSION Maximum step rate This shows the maximum speed of the stepper motor in steps per second It can not be modified by the user Sound to play Future implementations will permit the choice of a sound to play when the fibers break Currently there is only one sound the system beep Configuration Files Configuration Files can be used to automatically set up TENSION parameters Configuration files are plain text files containing one or more lines Each line consists of the name of a parameter followed by a value for that parameter The Options window can be used to read and write configuration information TENSION for Windows User s Manual 16 Calculator STRESS STRAIN FACEPLATE GAP CALCULATOR Note Changing the values of the parameters in this calculator will not change their values in the main program Fiber Parameters Miscellaneous Parameters Fiber diameter fo Zero offset Coating diameter n a um Groove angle n a Modulus 0 GPa CoatingEA fo N Modulus a B Calculate r Results Stress 0 Modulus 0 GPa Strain x Fiber load 0 Gap n a
25. escribed below Performing an Experiment Load fiber The translation stage is move to the zero position when the capstans are separated by the gauge length Break fiber The capstans are moved apart until the fiber breaks If preloading is specified the capstan moves at the translation stage s maximum speed to the preload position before continuing at the rate specified by the loading rate parameters Go to Specify a capstan position in microns The translation stage will move at its maximum speed Set Zero position Opens the Set Zero Position window This is used to reset or check the zero position Loading Rate Parameters Three types of experiment can be run constant capstan speed constant stress rate or constant strain rate It is planned to implement static fatigue constant load stress strain in the near future Preload Parameters For very slow loading rates the experiment can be shortened by rapidly loading the fiber to some specified level after which the rate drops to the needed slow value Preloading can dramatically shorten experiment duration without affecting the results since little fatigue occurs at low stress As an example FOTP 28C for tensile testing of fibers permits preloading to a stress more than 2 the strength of the weakest specimen Experiment Parameters Gauge length This specifies the length of fiber under test It is the distance between the centers of the capstans measured along the loading
26. eter to false When the translation stage is moved at a speed um s greater than the value defined by this parameter then the motor current is increased for the move If the speed is less than this value TENSION will drop the current to the lower standby current to avoid heating effects in slow long duration tests The motor current will only be low if the Motor Current switch on the Stepper Motor Drive is set to remote Set to false for normal operation When set to true the sense of the translation stage motor rotation are reversed This can be used if custom faceplates are mounted at the motor end of the translation stage instead of the other end Note that the position displayed by the Stepper Motor Drive will be the negative of the value shown by TENSION This parameter prevents premature detection of a break early in the loading cycle This parameter sets the load N below which a break will not be detected This parameter would need a smaller value if testing very weak fibers The TENSION software tracks the maximum load that has been applied to the fiber When the applied load drops below this fraction of the maximum load the software interprets it as a break This is the length of fiber under test in mm It is the distance between the surfaces of the capstans where the fiber contacts them This is the same as the distance between the centers of the capstans measured along the line of action of the force This parameter is used
27. he selected cells to the clipboard Loading Rate Graph Window After a fiber is broken the following window opens showing details of the load stress strain position vs time behavior LOAD TIME PROFILES LOAD vs TIME STRESS vs TIME STRAIN vs TIME ai 60 50 40 fiber load s stress MPa 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 time 5 time 5 time s double click a graph to see a larger version Copy data to clipboard E Dots lines In this particular example a large number of overlapping data points were captured making the charts little ugly Clicking the Dots lines button toggles between showing dots at each data point and showing lines joining the points 13 TENSION for Windows User s Manual LOAD TIME PROFILES E LOAD vs TIME STRESS vs TIME STRAIN vs TIME fiber load N stress 4 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 100 time 5 double click a graph to see a larger version Copy data to clipboard Close The actual loading rates achieved speed stress rate and strain rate are calculated by regression fitting to the data for loads exceeding 80 of the failure load this parameter can be changed in the Experiment Parameters section of the main window The top 20 of the data are shown in yellow and the blue lines are regression fits to the data Clicking the Copy data to clipboard button puts all the data into the clipboard ready for pasting into another application such as
28. her or not you solved them Your experiences will be useful to others Missing Features and Known Bugs Missing Features Static fatigue Proof testing Optional sounds to play when a fiber breaks Automated updating of System Controller firmware Reset all configuration parameters to defaults Known Bugs Please report any bugs or errors Please also suggest any way in which the software can be improved History Version 0 19 e No significant changes Version 0 18 e Fixed subscript out of range bug when starting a calibration introduced in version 0 17 Version 0 17 e Maintenance release Version 0 16 23 TENSION for Windows User s Manual e Fixed bugs associated with load cell calibration window Version 0 15 e Fixed additional problems with how Greek characters display in Asian versions of Windows e Further improvements have been made to sorting the Results Table Sorting multiple columns can be performed by sorting the individual columns in sequence Sorting by date also sorts by time so that the results are sorted into exact chronological order e The Motor Moving window now has a check box which locks the keyboard so that the motor can not be stopped by accidentally entering a keystroke This helps avoid accidents during long duration experiments Version 0 14 e TENSION can be run without a System Controller attached useful for exporting data or using the calculator Detection of the System Cont
29. ick The status of the input bits can be monitored Open limit is high when either the open limit is active or the Stepper Motor Drive is in local mode 17 TENSION for Windows User s Manual Close limit is high when either the close limit is active or the Stepper Motor Drive is in local mode Stop button is high when the emergency stop button on the front panel of the System Controller is pressed Break detect the state of this line is ignored by TENSION Contact the state of this line is ignored by TENSION Contact disable the state of this line is ignored by TENSION Load Cell Calibration How to Calibrate the Load Cell When to Calibrate the Load Cell Review Calibration Window Calibrate Load Cell Window The load cell needs to be carefully calibrated for accurate operation of the equipment If you are using standard test techniques please consult these documents since they will specify how and how accurately the load cell should be calibrated Typically they require that a range of weights be applied to the load cell around the region of loads at which the fiber is expected to break The results are then used to calculate an arbitrary load by linear interpolation of the calibration data For example FOTP 28 specifies that the load cell be calibrated using a minimum of three weights bracketing the expected failure loads and that the calibration be to an accuracy of 0 5 If a broad range of calibration weights are used the load ce
30. ll used in the our equipment typically exceeds this requirement by an order of magnitude over the entire range of the load cell the default is a 25 16 11 3 kg capacity load cell This permits one calibration to serve a variety of experiments high loads for strength measurement of pristine fiber and low loads for coating strip force measurement The analog to digital A D converter in the System Controller used to measure the load cell amplifier output has three channels with different gain settings The default channel 0 uses the entire range of the load cell Channel 1 has twice the gain of channel 0 but therefore can only use half of the load cell capacity i e 12 5 16 5 7 kg for the standard load cell Channel 2 has five times the gain of channel 0 but can only access a fifth of the load cell capacity i e 5 lb 2 3 kg for the standard load cell Using channels 1 or 2 therefore enable higher precision measurements of low loads e g for studying weak fiber The noise levels are proportionately lower as well The TENSION software has built in to it software for determining the calibration parameters as well as the precision of the calibration How to Calibrate the Load Cell There are several ways to calibrate the load cell Consult any standard test procedures you are using for details However the following method works well and leads to calibrations that substantially exceed all standard specifications we have seen 1 Mount the
31. load i e the residue is the vertical distance between a point and the regression line Poor points caused by a swinging weight or a weight of poor accuracy show up as deviating significantly from zero Double clicking on either graph opens the Graph Window which shows an enlarged version A button on that window permits both the data and the graph to be copied to the clipboard The Calibration data section displays information on the measurements It includes the load with the specified units the load converted to newtons N the A D reading for that load and the residues from the regression line The contents of this table can be copied to the clipboard by clicking the Copy to clipboard button TENSION for Windows User s Manual 20 Configuration Files Configuration files are plain text files that contain settings for various program parameters Reading a configuration file will automatically set the values for the defined parameters They can be used to quickly set several parameters at once For example you could create a file FOTP 28 INI which would specify parameters that are compatible with the FOTP 28 standard test procedure ExptType 2 ExptStrainRate 50 GaugeLength 500 If the translation stage is turned through 180 so that the motor is between the capstans reducing the overall length of the system one could tell TENSION that the motor direction is reversed ReverseSense Tru The configuration files can
32. n Window Load Cell Calibration Window The Main Window h TENSION Control Program for the Tension Tester 5 xj File Exportdata Miscellaneous Help Position Loading Rate _ Preload __ p Experiment parameters Fiber Parameters Constant None Gauge length fs00 mm Fiber diameter 125 Speed 500 pms load E N Ratecale fso CoatingEA jo wN Load fiber Sireas rato Stess 5 Elastic modulus 72 GPa Break fiber C Strain rate E0 Amin C Stanjo Modulus a B Static must specify preloading Specimen ha Goto set Zero position Calibrate Options Calculator Hardware setup Exit program Current data file Review last Open data fil eatin hl Export dat C Documents and Settings JohniMy Documents B 2POIN TW Sten dat ome Open datafile _ Save datafile Export data 7 LEIN 2 nomrate v ums e s MPa s date time df GL EA Eo Ea Preload a 135 1 0 a 50 pm s 0 Bae 0 0 ae 0 E 0 0000 0 ES 04 125500 072 3 2N 05 06 10 136 136 156 86 16 86 1374 2 1 8103 _50um s 43019 0057 40100 3797 52318 49 33 1 9 05 06710 14 18 28 125500 072 3 2N 05 06 10 137 137 15 44 15 44 1258 2 1 6644 50 43019 0057 38 598 3239 50533 4281 2 7 05 06 10 za 125 500 072 3 05 06 10 138 138 14 88 1488 1212 7 1 6063 50 52845 2347 68259 26 69
33. n the rail is mounted vertically see the Load Cell Calibration section The equipment also has a very small footprint when mounted vertically For operation in the vertical direction first firmly attach the vertical mounting bracket to a rigid horizontal surface Then remove the 20 cm long rails from the main rail by loosening the screws attaching them to the main rail which can be accessed through a small hole in the middle of each rail Now loosen the clamping screws holding the slide supporting the translation stage and move the slide away from the end of the rail Then place the end of the rail into the vertical mounting bracket and finger tighten the two screws in the side of the bracket to hold the rail firmly Check the rail is vertical using a level shims might need to be placed under one side of the vertical mounting bracket if it is not In this configuration for a half meter gauge length of fiber it will be found that the motor on the translation stage might be obstructed by the vertical bracket If this is the case remove the translation stage from the slide by removing the two screws under the bellows nearer the motor rotate the stage 180 and reattach using the same two screws but now through holes accessed under the other bellows Now the translation stage will need to be run backwards Inform the TENSION program by checking the Reverse motor sense option in the Options Window Electrical Connections Most of the cables used t
34. need to be attached the slides which are attached to the mounting rail The load cell assembly is attached to the shorter slide using two 4 20 by 1 inch screws The translation stage is attached to the longer slide using two 1 2 inch long 10 32 screws inserted through two holes in the base of the translation stage which are accessed under the black bellows nearer the motor The bellows can be pulled out of the way by gently detaching the Velcro at one side The picture below shows the bellows detached and the arrows point to the heads of the two attachment screws The positions of the translation stage and load cell assembly can be adjusted by loosening the clamping screws on each side using a 5 mm hex wrench One of the screws on the load cell assembly is arrowed in the above left picture TENSION for Windows User s Manual 2 Hardware Assembly Horizontal The rail on which the components are connected can be mounted in either the horizontal or vertical direction For horizontal use rotate the two 20 cm lengths of rail attached to the underside of the main rail until they are perpendicular to the main rail as shown in the pictures above The short rails are attached to the main rail by socket head screws which are accessed through a hole in the middle of the underside of each short rail Loosen these screws with a 5 mm hex wrench Hardware Assembly Vertical The load cell is most conveniently calibrated whe
35. number is saved with the calibration data as well as the A D channel used for the calibration Other functions can be performed in this window Zero Tare Adjust the calibration intercept to force the load to read zero Save to disc Save the current calibration parameters to a disc file Load from disc Load calibration parameters from disc New calibration Opens the Calibrate Load Cell window 19 TENSION for Windows User s Manual Calibrate Load Cell Window Calibration parameters Parameters for these data Serial 1287317 on channel 0 slope 29 988 0 003 au N intercept 751 46 0 04 au Calibration currently in use z Serial 1287317 on channel 0 slope 29 988 0 003 au N intercept 751 46 0 04 au 5 n 2 m Calibration data m dd remove calibration points gt kg Load Load Signal tend Cig 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 250 g 2 453 825 11 500 g 4 905 898 60 Load 7500 7358 971 99 011 10009 9810 1045 64 0 01 12509 12263 111917 0 02 _Pemove point_ 15009 14715 119277 0 03 zionak 13399 au 17500 17168 1256529 0 00 mapsto 19 2 20009 19 620 133384 0 01 20 Channel Residue iau Load cell serial 1287317 Copy to clipboard Delete all data Finish Load double click graph for larger version This window displays various
36. o connect the various parts of the tensile test apparatus are color coded make sure that the color of the marker on the cable matches the color of the receptacle to which you connect it Cables that are not color coded can usually only be connected in one place 1 Connect the black cable with circular connectors to the motor housing on the translation stage and the circular connector on the rear of the Stepper Motor Controller 3 TENSION for Windows User s Manual 2 Make sure the stepper motor drive is turned off the switch is on the rear panel Two versions of the Stepper Motor Drive are currently in use The version powered by the AC supply has the power switch integrated with the AC input module The version powered by a 24 VDC external power brick has its power switch above the circular power input socket In both cases press the side of the switch marked O to turn off the power and 1 to turn on the power 3 For the Stepper Motor Drive with AC supply make sure that the fuse holder incorporated in the AC input module is oriented with your AC line voltage opposite the small arrow head on the housing If it is not the fuse holder can by prized out with a screwdriver rotated and reinserted For 220 240 VAC line voltage a 1 amp fuse should be used and a 2 amp fuse for a 110 120 VAC line voltage Both fuses are installed in the fuse holder 4 Connect power to the Stepper Motor Drive using either the AC line cord or the 24
37. on the equipment in the orientation it will be used in Attach any mounting fixtures to the load cell assembly The load will now probably not read zero in the Review Calibration window since the weight of the fixtures has changed Click Zero Tare to apply an offset to the calibration to force it to read zero 9 Click Save to disc to save the calibration data to disc While TENSION will remember the calibration data each time it is started it is useful save to disc in case the calibration is overwritten When to Calibrate the Load Cell A full calibration of the load cell is needed under these circumstances 1 When the equipment is first received It is shipped with calibration data but the end user should ensure proper calibration 2 When either the load cell or the System Controller is changed 3 Periodically perhaps once a week apply weights to the load cell and make sure the correct force is shown in the Review Calibration window If it shows significant error perform another calibration Review Calibration Window Current calibration parameters Serial 1287317 on channel 0 slope 30 011 0 009 au N intercept 634 96 0 51 au a Load 0 01 N Save to disc Load from disc New calibration Done This window shows the current calibration parameters and an estimate of their errors A careful calibration will produce parameters which have only a fraction of a percent error Note that the load cell serial
38. riables csv format for import into a variety of data analysis programs including Excel and SigmaPlot Data can also be copied into the clipboard for quickly pasting results into the worksheets of other programs Data source p Data destination Whole datasheet File comma delimited csv Go Visible datasheet columns Clipboard tab delimited Selected datasheet cells IV Include column names This window permits results contained in the Result Table to be exported from the TENSION program The whole results sheet can be exported or only the visible columns i e all unhidden columns columns that are scrolled outside the results box are considered visible or cells that have been selected with the mouse Output can either be sent to a comma delimited text file where each row of the results table is a line in the output file and each cell in a row is separated by commas This is a standard format that can be recognized by and imported into many programs Alternatively the results can be placed in the clipboard delimited by tabs characters between cells and pasted directly into many applications such as Excel or SigmaPlot The column headers can be included in the output if Include column names is checked The same data export functions are available from the menu bar in the Main Window under Export data Also right clicking anywhere in the results table brings up a context sensitive menu one option of which copies t
39. roller has been improved e Improved sorting of the data grid e Support has been added for a user selectable sound to be played when a fiber breaks e All program parameters can now be reset to their default values from the Options window Version 0 13 e Ctrl C copies selected data to clipboard e A better software installer is now used Shortcut for uninstallation now installed e Added ReverseSense configuration parameter e Added more status information to the Hardware Setup window Version 0 12 e Maintenance release Version 0 11 e Not released Version 0 10 e Initial release TENSION for Windows User s Manual 24
40. running TENSION on the same computer on which TENSION will be used Please contact us at support fibersigma com if you have any problems with the activation process When the software is run for the first time it attempts to find the connection to the external microcontroller on one of the serial COM ports The USB to serial adapter if used looks like a COM port to the software Whenever the TENSION software is started not just on the first occasion two additional steps must be taken before accessing the Main Window of the program 1 After the hardware connection is specified you will be need to synchronize the position of the translation stage capstan with the position indicated by the Stepper Motor Drive and the position indicated by the TENSION software This is done in the Set Zero Position window 2 Load cell calibration data need to be loaded into the program By default the program uses the same calibration information as the last time it was run However the first time the program is run the Review Calibration window is automatically opened A calibration file is supplied by Fiber Sigma its name is nnnnnn CAL where nnnnnn is the serial number of the load cell The calibration data are loaded from the main Review Calibration window When the data are loaded make sure that the load 5 TENSION for Windows User s Manual cell reads zero when there is no fiber loaded If it is not close to zero click the Zero Tare bu
41. s and how to overcome them If you have any suggestions for this section we will be glad to include them The following topics are addressed Unable to Communicate with System Controller via the USB Port The Motor is Obstructed by the Vertical Mounting Bracket Unable to Communicate with System Controller via the USB Port Symptom TENSION can not find the system controller Cause The USB to serial adapter cable sometimes gets confused about what type of device it actually is Solution Turn off the System Controller Disconnect both ends of the USB to serial adapter Connect the USB end to the PC and wait until you get bong and a message saying that the new hardware is ready to be used Connect the other end of the cable to the System Controller Turn on the System Controller Restart TENSION Cause The firmware in the System Controller has been erased or is corrupt Solution Reinstall the firmware See the section on Updating the System Controller Firmware The Motor is Obstructed by the Vertical Mounting Bracket Symptom When the rail is mounted vertically the motor can be obstructed by the vertical mounting bracket so that the full 1 2 meter gauge length can not be realized Solution Reverse the translation stage the motor is then between the two capstans so shortening the overall system length The Reverse motor sense option should then be selected in the Options Window Please let us know of any problems you have whet
42. support rail vertically using the mounting bracket supplied with the equipment Make sure that the load cell is at the top with its direction of action marked with an arrow pointing down The translation stage can be removed from the rail or at least the capstan on it can be removed to be out of the way 2 A string with a metal ring is supplied with the equipment Wrap the string around the load cell capstan criss crossing the wraps to get a good grip Make sure that the ring hangs down with the string along the line of action of the load cell i e collinear with the screw at the top of the load cell 3 Let the equipment run for 24 hours to ensure thermal stability before calibrating or before making measurements 4 In the Main Window click Calibrate then in the Review Calibration window click New calibration which opens the Calibrate Load Cell window TENSION for Windows User s Manual 18 5 Enter the serial number of the load cell Also specify the A D channel that is to be used Channel 0 is the channel normally used 6 Hang a series of weights on the ring entering the weight and pressing Add point for each Repeat until the needed weight range is covered The data table and the lower graph show the residues for each point If a point has a large residue check the calibration weight or repeat making sure that the weight is stationary before clicking Add point Click Finish and when prompted accept these data Repositi
43. tant capstan speed However by varying the capstan speed during the experiment left upper a precise stress rate is achieved right lower This technique means that the TENSION for Windows software greatly exceeds the loading rate requirements of all current standard testing procedures TIA IEC etc over the entire load range not just for the top 20 of the data Clicking the Copy button in any of the graph windows copies to the clipboard both the graph in bit map format and the data displayed by the graphs Either the graph or the data can be pasted into other applications which gets pasted depends on the application For example Paint pastes the graph while SigmaPlot pastes the data By default the data are pasted into Excel and Word but the graph can also be pasted using Paste Special Note that the graph window can be resized to obtain bigger graphs with more resolution Set Zero Position Window SYNCHRONIZE POSITIONS a The position of the motor must be synchronized with the program Use one of the following methods Bias hres rie Run capstan until the closed hard limit is detected back off 500 um set that position to zero Set position Manually set the current position The position of the translation stage must be synchronized with the Stepper Motor Drive and with the TENSION software This is normally done by moving the capstan close to the limit of travel of the translation stage Often the TENSION software
44. tton to adjust the calibration to read zero You might then want to save the adjusted parameters to a disc file 3 The software must be connected to a data file used to save all measurements as they are made By default the same file used the last time the program was run is used if it can be found If not you are prompted to specify a file After specifying the file the data file name is displayed in the data area of the Main Window Uninstalling TENSION for Windows TENSION for Windows can be uninstalled using either one of two methods 1 Run the Unistall icon in the Fiber Sigma program folder Start Programs Fiber Sigma 2 Go to Start Settings Control Panel Add or Remove Software and select TENSION and click Change Remove Updating the System Controller Firmware When a new version of the TENSION software is released it is usually necessary to update the System Controller firmware at the same time TENSION will give an error message and halt if the System Controller firmware is out of date Additionally if the firmware is accidentally erased e g by turning on the power with the Run Program switch is set to Program the power LED will be flashing and it is necessary to reprogram the firmware Perform the following steps in the exact order given to update the firmware 1 Locate the binary file containing an image of the firmware This file can be found in the TENSION program directory C Program Files Fiber
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