Aspects of the technology relate to an apparatus and method for testing a material for use in a lighter-than-air craft deployable in the stratosphere. The apparatus and method may include and use a base plate and at least one ring component to attach to the base plate to secure a portion of the material. The at least one ring component has an elliptical shape including a minor radius having a first predetermined length and a major radius having a second predetermined length. The base plate receives a gas to inflate and pressurize the portion of the material. The first predetermined length and second predetermined length are selected to impart a stress ratio up to a predetermined maximum ratio onto the portion of the material through a predetermined temperature range when the portion of the material is inflated to a predetermined pressure.

A testing apparatus for a flexible screen includes a slide rail, a reel, and a clamping member. The reel is disposed at an end of the slide rail in the extension direction of the slide rail which the axial direction of the reel is perpendicular to. The reel has a hollow structure and is connected to a evacuating device through a gas path formed in the hollow structure to enable the evacuating device to vacuumize inside of the reel to fit the flexible screen and coil around the reel. The reel is configured to affix first end of flexible screen and rotate to coil the flexible screen. The clamping member is configured to clamp a second end of the flexible screen opposite to the first end. The reel is further configured to rotate to drive, through the flexible screen, the reel and the clamping member to slide towards each other along the slide rail.

A bending test apparatus includes a jig including first to third supporting members arranged in a first direction; a shaft member including a first shaft, a second shaft, and a third shaft extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction and respectively connected to the first to third supporting members; a driving member connected to the first shaft and providing a rotation force to the first shaft; a sliding member including a first slider and a second slider respectively connected to the second shaft and the third shaft; and a rail member extending in the first direction and guiding movements of the first slider and the second slider. When the first shaft rotates the first supporting member in a first rotation direction, the second and third supporting members rotate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

A strain testing rig for an elongate specimen has a first grip for the first end portion of the specimen, a second grip for the second end portion of the specimen, and a drive mechanism for moving the first grip away from the second grip to stretch the specimen lengthwise. The first grip and the second grip are configured to maintain a grip on the specimen as the cross section of the specimen decreases during stretching. Each of the first grip and the second grip can include a tapered dog, a press for compressing the respective end portion of the specimen, and a clamp for clamping the respective end portion of the specimen in a direction perpendicular to the action of the clamp. A method of testing strain characteristics can involve using digital image correlation to separately measure strain on each of the at least three independent strain zones.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a laminate, including a laminating step of laminating a side of a thermal transfer layer of a thermal transfer sheet having a release sheet and the thermal transfer layer on at least a part of a surface of a resin member by heat bonding, in which the release sheet has a thermal expansion coefficient β of −15%≤β≤+7.5% at a molding temperature Tβ° C. in the laminating step.

A device for analyzing a physical characteristic of a film sample is described herein. The device includes a clamping system configured to hold the film sample. The device further includes a dart probe system configured to test a physical characteristic of the film sample. The dart probe system has a dart probe, a propulsion system configured to move the dart probe relative to the clamping system, and a force sensor configured to measure a force that the dart probe is subjected to during a movement of the dart probe. The force sensor is configured to measure a force imparted to the film sample when the dart probe comes in contact with the film sample.

An abrasion tester and testing method. The testing method comprises setting a running speed of a rubber sample fixed to an outer surface of an annular belt member stretched between a pair of pulleys to a desired speed; setting a pressing load applied by a contact member to a desired pressing load via an anchor member; selecting, as the contact member, a desired contact member from a plurality of types of contact members with different rubber sample surface contacting tip specifications; pressing the contact member against the surface of the rubber sample running by the rotation of the pulleys; and obtaining an amount of scratch abrasion of the rubber sample using a calculation unit on the basis of a cross-sectional shape of the surface of the rubber sample detected by a shape sensor.

A portable flexure fixture including a fixture housing, a translatable plug, a load ring, and a support ring. The fixture housing includes a first end opposite a second end, a plug receiving opening extending into the first end and a test opening extending into the second end. The support ring is disposed in the fixture housing. The translatable plug is insertable into the plug receiving opening of the fixture housing and is translatable in both a sample engaging direction and a sample releasing direction. Further, the load ring is coupled to the translatable plug and is positioned at a sample facing end of the translatable plug such that translation of the translatable plug in the sample engaging direction translates the load ring in the sample engaging direction and translation of the translatable plug in the sample releasing direction translates the load ring in the sample releasing direction.

A method for testing the strength of a sheet-like element having two opposite faces and made of hard brittle material under tensile stress is provided. The method includes passing each of the faces of the element over a roller and thereby bending the element so that each of the faces is subjected to a first tensile stress in a portion in which the opposite face is in contact with a surface of the roller; exerting a second tensile force on the element in the direction of advancement so that both faces are subjected to the second tensile stress of at least 2 MPa so that the first and second tensile stresses add up to define a resultant tensile stress; and monitoring the element and determining whether the element has a defined breaking strength equal to the resultant tensile stress or whether the element breaks under the resultant tensile stress.

A collision performance evaluation test with few variations in test results with high accuracy in which a complicated phenomenon that actually occurs can be reproduced in a simple manner by considering the history of deformation in both the press forming and a collision. A collision performance evaluation test method for a metal sheet material for an automobile body is characterized in that a press working apparatus first forms a flat test specimen made of a metal sheet material to be tested into a V shape by primary bending, a bending test apparatus then deforms, by secondary bending, the test specimen formed by the primary bending in a direction intersecting with the primary bending direction, and a bending load and a bending stroke for the test specimen during the secondary bending deformation are recorded and evaluated.