Testing the shear forces of contact elements

In addition to tensile, compressive and bending tests, the universal test machine inspekt table BLUE 20kN also enables the testing of shear forces up to a test load of 20kN using a special rig. Using this shear rig it is possible to test contact elements - such as switch contacts on circuit breakers from the electrical industry - in order to guarantee safety when working with electrical components. Switch contacts are soldered on during the production and processing of components. These are exposed to high loads in practice and are frequently required to withstand many millions of switching cycles whilst retaining their characteristics. With the aid of so-called shear tests it is possible to determine whether the solder contacts between the switch contact and the component can withstand these loads. For this purpose the test component is clamped in a specially developed shear rig and exposed to a constantly increasing shear force, until the switch contact is sheared off.

The shear test is carried out fully automatically with the inspekt table BLUE 20kN, with the exception of inserting and removing the samples. The tester first places the contact strips into a sample slot. These are then moved back in the test machine until they reach the limit stop. A contact triggers the start of the test. The safety door closes and the special tool shears off the switch contact. Once the test has come to an end, the safety door opens and the contact strips can be removed. The highest force measured is transferred directly to the production database and compared with the factory's internal specifications. If the measured values lie outside of the tolerance range then corrective measures can be implemented in production. This ensures consistently high product quality and reduces the consumption of materials and resources.

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