Mechanical Side Action Grips
Mechanical side action grips, also referred to as mechanical vise grips, are typically the least expensive grip in their force class because they don’t have the complexity of powered grips. Unlike pneumatic grips or hydraulic grips, they do not require additional infrastructure. Which makes them the most simple, easy to use, low maintenance and the preferred solution for testing wide width, non-elastic materials and irregular specimen geometries, including product testing applications. We offer a wide selection of options in both standard and custom engineered solutions. All of our mechanical side action grips will fit any brand of test machine through the use of an adapter.
| Family | Max Force | Max Thickness | Clamp Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| G140 | 100 N (22 lbf) | 8 mm (0.31 in) | Knob |
| G341 | 100 N (22 lbf) | 4 mm (0.15 in) | Knob |
| G227 | 220 N (50 lbf) | 46 mm (1.8 in) | Knob |
| G56K | 1 kN (225 lbf) | 11 mm (0.43 in) | T-Handle |
| G240K | 1 to 5 kN (225 to 1,125 lbf) | 10 to 50 mm (0.4 to 2 in) | T-Handle |
| G240G | 5 kN (1,125 lbf) | 30 to 100 mm (1.18 to 3.9 in) | T-Handle |
| G56G | 5 kN (1,125 lbf) | 15 to 43 mm (0.6 to 1.7 in) | T-Handle |
| G154 | 10 to 20 kN (2,250 to 4,500 lbf) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | T-Handle |
| G90 | 50 kN (11,250 lbf) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | Air or Torque Wrench |
| G355 | 50 kN (11,250 lbf) | 28 mm (1.1 in) | Air or Torque Wrench |
| G668 | 100 to 300 kN (22,500 to 67,500 lbf) | 22 mm (0.9 in) | Air or Torque Wrench |
Fits Any Brand Test Machine
Our grips and fixtures will fit any brand of test machine. We offer adapters that allow the grips and fixtures to be used on test machines from TestResources, Instron®, MTS®, Tinius Olsen® and every other brand of machine.
Mechanical Side Action Grips Handle Wider and Thicker Test Samples Than Other Types of Tensile Grips at a Lower Cost
Mechanical side action grips are designed to handle wider and thicker test samples than any other tensile testing grips. The jaws can also be designed to match wide test samples for all different types of applications.The low cost and wide range of grip and jaw sizes makes the mechanical side action grip very popular.
The side action grip design makes loading samples easy. The grip can be returned to the machine’s home position so that the sample can slide in from the side. This means that you do not have to put the sample in one side, then jog the machine and put the sample in the other side, like you would have to do with closed body grips.
The adjustable jaw position makes it possible to offset the jaws while maintaining sample centerlines. Offsetting jaws can be beneficial during lap-shear tests where the sample substrates are on opposite sides of the test machines centerline. Jaws can be offset for irregular or asymmetrical specimens such as lap-shear test samples.
Can be Configured to your Specific Application
Our grips and jaws can be configured to meet specific ASTM, ISO, DIN, EN requirements. These mechanical side action grips are the most popular and cost effective solution for tensile testing different materials and products. We can configure the grips and jaws to fit any sample geometry including round samples like wire and fasteners as well as flat test specimens with or without shoulder tab ends.
Mechanical vice grips are used to perform tensile, static and tension-tension cyclic tests on adhesives, labels, plastics, metals, textiles, paper, thin sheet, foil and more.
Compatible with Different Testing Environments
Grips can be constructed of different materials and surface treatments such as stainless steel, titanium and nickel coating. Nickel coated versions can be used inside hot and cold temperature chambers. The nickel coating helps protect the grips from corrosion caused by condensation from the freeze/thaw cycles inside the chamber. It also protects the grips from moisture inside humidity chambers which helps protect the grips from rusting over time. Nickel coated grips or grips made from corrosion resistant materials such as 316 stainless steel or titanium have an important benefit to people whose labs are in humid climates or near coastal areas of the ocean. Stainless steel versions are used in harsh environments such as saline bathes. Many biomedical tissue testing applications require testing in physiological conditions. These tests are typically carried out in biomedical baths with, water, saline, PBS (phosphate buffered saline) or a bovine serum media. The stainless steel material protects the grips from corrosion.
Standard and Custom Engineered Solutions
We offer multiple standard products as well as custom solutions. Standard grips handle sample thicknesses and sample diameters to 210 mm (8.25 in). However, our modular platform enables us to adjust designs for any application requirement including customized bodies and jaws for larger test samples. We understand that every sample can be unique. With this in mind, we offer custom engineered jaw surfaces to match your specimen with any test force. For example, we have made curved jaws to hold curved samples and other special jaws for connecting rod testing.
Wide Range of Supporting Options
Interchangeable Jaws or Jaw Faces - We have various standard sized jaws available including wide width jaws and we can also easily custom engineer other sizes for unique test samples.
- Standard Jaws - Our standard jaws are the most affordable type of jaws and are attached with small screws.
- Snap on Insert Jaws - Our snap on insert jaws enables you to change jaws quickly. Testing a lot of different types of parts, snap on jaw inserts save time in test setup. The jaw insert carriers along with insert jaws, allows you to switch jaw faces in seconds, when you need to switch jaw surfaces due to a different test method, standard, or material property reason.
- Variety of Jaw Surfaces - We offer a wide variety of jaw surfaces for various sample types including:
- Smooth
- Rubber-coated
- Diamond grit
- Serrated
- V serrated jaws for round samples
- Line Contact
- Wave / Corrugated
Specimen Centering Tool - The specimen centering tool provides a settable backstop to ensure repeatable specimen location. This will help keep the specimen appropriately aligned and orientated to the direction of pull, resulting in more consistent test results.
Optional Pneumatic Cylinders - Due to our modular design principles, pneumatic cylinders can be added onto many of our mechanical grip designs, bringing ease of operator use and repeatability at an affordable price. Our pneumatic actuated grips produce active clamping for samples with high Poisson's ratio because samples with high poisson's ratio tend to slip out of the jaws. Pneumatic jaws are beneficial where machine efficiency and throughput is important. Loading time can be significantly reduced with pneumatics. Additionally, operator fatigue is reduced which results in more consistent clamping load from sample to sample and operator to operator. This ensures more accurate and consistent results.
Mechanical, Pneumatic and Hydraulic
Mechanical side action grips are typically the least expensive grip in their force class because they don’t have the complexity of powered grips. Unlike pneumatic grips or hydraulic grips, they do not require additional infrastructure. For example, pneumatic grips require an air compressor, filter, switch kits, air lines etc. and hydraulic grips require a hydraulic power source (pump), hoses etc. Our mechanical side action grips do not require any of these additional accessories.
Mechanical side action grips are not suitable for high elongation materials that shrink when pulled, such as rubber. Mechanical grips do not have active clamping, unlike the pneumatic, hydraulic, spring loaded or eccentric grips, that maintains a constant clamp load on the sample. They are also not suitable for dynamic fatigue tests because the clamp load can vary greatly which causes the specimen to work free from the grips.
Related Products
There are so many grips to choose from it can be overwhelming and you certainly don’t want to make the mistake of selecting the wrong one. Give us a call today to speak to one of our experienced engineers that will work with you to find the exact solution based on your test requirements.