Shear Testing

Shear testing is different from tensile and compression testing in that the forces applied are parallel to the upper and lower faces of the object under test. Materials behave differently in shear than in tension or compression, resulting in different values for strength and stiffness. Shear testing applies a lateral shear force to the specimen until failure results.

Fasteners, such as bolts, may be pulled in single or double shear to SAE or ASTM specification. A single shear test fixture uses two blades with centrally located transverse holes. One blade is kept stationary with the fastener in place while the second blade is moved in a parallel plane, which shears the fastener. Double shear testing uses a second stationary blade support behind the shearing blade.

Lap shear testing is performed to determine the shear strength of an adhesive that is applied to two metal plates and pulled to failure. It can be used to compare between adhesive types or different lots within the same adhesive. Specimens are cut and prep per ASTM standard prior to testing.

CAPABILITIES

• Shear testing of metals, polymers, and composites

• Temperatures reduced to -100F or elevated to 1,200F

• Load capacities from 1 to 120,000 pounds

• Full-size testing of fasteners

• Adhesion and peel testing

SPECIFICATIONS

• SAE J429 - Mechanical Testing of Externally Threaded Fasteners

• ASTM D1002 – Shear Strength of Single Lap Joint

• ASTM A370 – Mechanical Testing of Steel Products

• ASTM D3163 - Shear by Tension Loading of Adhesively Bonded Rigid Plastics

• ASTM D3528 - Double Shear of Adhesive Joints

SAMPLE REQUIREMENTS

• Custom sub-sized coupons to ASTM standard sizes may apply