Design, Development and Fabrication of A Fixture For Drop Weight Machine

International Journal of Innovative Research in Advanced Engineering (IJIRAE) ISSN: 2349-2163
Issue 04, Volume 4 (April 2017) (SPECIAL ISSUE) www.ijirae.com
Design, Development and Fabrication of a Fixture for Drop

Weight Machine
Mahesh S, Hemantha B S,Nandish M Hiremath, Chethan M
Students, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Vemana Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India
Abstract- Extensive research is happening around the world to develop a new material or to modify an existing one, so that
it satisfies a particular purpose. Material property is a set of factors that are considered while developing or modifying a
product. To determine material property, two types of testing are carried out – Destructive testing and Non-Destructive
testing. Drop weight testing is one of the destructive testing methods, where a required amount of weight is dropped on a
specimen from a considerable height. Thus the amount of stresses absorbed by the specimen is determined which in turn is
the source to determine all other material properties. Proposed work is to develop a fixture for testing flat specimens on the
existing drop weight machine.
INTRODUCTION
Mechanical properties are useful to estimate how parts will behave when they are subjected to mechanical loads. In particular,
our aim is to know the amount of energy absorbed by the material until it fails, under different dynamic loading conditions.
Thus testing of materials becomes necessary. One such test method is Impact testing or Drop weight testing. Drop weight test
machine is shown in figure 1 and its specification is given in table 1. It is a type of testing where impactor assembly drops on
to a specimen from a certain predetermined height. Impactor assembly has a provision for varying the mass. As impactor
assembly falls on the specimen placed on the load cell, it deforms, and the load cell records the strain in the specimen in terms
of voltage. Impactor assembly is raised to the required height using a motorized rope drum by means of lever mechanism along
the guideways. Generally thick solid specimens or hollow tubes are tested in drop weight testing machine and there is no
provision to test flat specimens of thickness below 15mm. Hence a fixture is designed to test flat specimens of thicknesses
ranging from 3mm to 15mm on drop weight machine.
Guide ways
Lever
Mechanism
Impactor
Assembly
Motorized
Rope Drum
Load
cell
Figure 1: Photograph of Drop Weight Test Machine

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IJIRAE: Impact Factor Value – SJIF: Innospace, Morocco (2016): 3.916 | PIF: 2.469 | Jour Info: 4.085 |
ISRAJIF (2016): 3.715 | Indexcopernicus: (ICV 2015): 47.91
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The fixture is such that the indenter perforates the flat specimen and there is no damage caused to the load cell of the machine.
The design was carried out using CAD software – Solid Edge V19.
TABLE 1: SPECIFICATIONS OF DROP WEIGHT MACHINE
SL. NO. PARTICULARS DETAILS
1. MAX. DROP HEIGHT 5.8 M
2. MAX. VELOCITY 10.77 M/S
3. DROP MASS 60 – 120 KG
4. MAX. CAPACITY 6960 J
5. MAX. SIZE OF SPECIMEN 0.28*0.28 M2
6. LOAD CELL SEMI-CONDUCTOR STRAIN GAUGE, 0 – 500KN
METHODOLOGY
Design of fixture was developed using CAD technology. This designed fixture is quite suitable for mounting flat specimen on
to the drop weight machine. Selection of material for the fabrication of fixture is explained eventually. It has two major parts
viz., Specimen Holder and Indenter Assembly.
SPECIMEN HOLDER
Specimen Holder is a device on to which the flat specimen of thickness 3mm to 15mm is mounted rigidly. Parts of specimen
holder are shown in figure 2.
Figure 2: Parts of specimen holder

Main parts of specimen holder are listed below –
I. BASE PLATE
II. SUPPORTING BUSH OR SPACERS
III. CLAMPING PLATES
I. BASE PLATE
Base Plate is the foundation of specimen holder which is mounted rigidly on the load cell by means of threads. This acts as the
base for rest of the parts of Specimen Holder. Figure 3 shows base plate.
Figure 3: Schematic of base plate
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II. SUPPORTING BUSH OR SPACERS

Spacers are used in order to raise the specimen to a certain height, so that indenter penetrates the specimen. It supports the two
clamping plates between which our specimen is mounted. Four spacers are used along four bolts. Spacer is given in figure 4.
Figure 4: Schematic of spacer

III. CLAMPING PLATES
These are annular shaped discs that support and hold the specimen rigidly. They decide diameter of the specimen, which is
150mm according to our design. This is shown in figure 5.
Figure 5: Schematic of clamping plates

These parts of the fixture are held together using bolts and nuts. Implicating certain precautionary measures like, nylon bush
and rubber sheets, damage to the specimen holder is avoided. The specimen mounted on the Specimen Holder is shown in fig.
6.
Specimen
Figure 6: Specimen mounted on specimen holder

INDENTER ASSEMBLY
Indenter assembly is similar to impactor assembly shown in figure 1, but a small modification is to be done in order to hold the
indenter i.e., indenter-chuck is to be incorporated. Parts of indenter assembly are shown in figure 7.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Figure 7: Parts of Indenter Assembly

MAIN PARTS OF INDENTER ASSEMBLY ARE LISTED BELOW-
I. INDENTER
II. INDENTER CHUCK
III. HOLDER OR LIFTER
I. INDENTER
Indenter penetrates the specimen when it falls from a certain height. Different types of indenters used are flat face,
hemispherical, conical and knife-edge indenters. Any type of indenter based on the test to be carried out is used. Hemispherical
indenter is shown in figure 8.
Figure 8: Schematic of hemispherical indenter

II. INDENTER CHUCK
Indenter is held in indenter chuck by means of nut and bolt. It is held between top and bottom plate along with variable weights
clamped together by means of bolts and nuts as shown in figure 7. Indenter chuck is shown in figure 9.
Figure 9: Schematic of Indenter Chuck

III. HOLDER OR LIFTER
Holder is the top most part of indenter assembly. Rope drive mechanism lifts the indenter assembly by means of lever
mechanism which clamps the lifter. The geometry of holder is shown in figure 10.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Top plate
Bottom Plate
Variable Mass
Figure 10: Schematic of holder or lifter
The weights are held between the top and bottom plates. Mass of entire assembly can be varied by increasing or decreasing the
thickness of the disc. These parts are shown in figure 11.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
FABRICATION
Fabrication of the fixture is done using EN8 steel. The machining was carried out in lathe, drilling machine, shaping machine
and grinding machine. Properties of EN8 steel are - Ultimate Stress 700-850 N/mm2
Yield Stress 465 N/mm2 0.2% Proof Stress 450 N/mm2 Hardness 108 Rockwell
The hardness of indenter and indenter chuck is enhanced by heat treatment process, they are heated to 6000C for an hour, and
then oil quenched. The Rockwell hardness number was found to be 100.
ASSEMBLY
The design assembly of fixture on drop weight machine is shown in figure12.
Indenter
Assembly
Specimen
Holder
Load cell
Figure12: Assembly of Fixture on Drop Weight Machine.

The material selected for fabrication of the fixture must withstand forces acting on it. The bolts and nuts used for clamping of
the fixture is TVS M14, which has an allowable load of 6.88MN and yield stress of 446 N/mm2. As these bolts are subjected to
bending on the whole length due to the hear force developed by clamping plates and specimen during impact, this shear force
is determined to ensure safety of the entire fixture.
Stress acting on the specimen is given by,
F F
= = Figure 11
We know yield stress of EN 8 steel is 465MPa; therefore the maximum shear stress developed by the material on the bolts is,
τ = y/2
τ = 465/2
τ = 232.5MPa
From the above calculation we can come to a conclusion that the design is safe when the test specimen used has its yield stress
below 465MPa.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors are thankful to Dr. T Yella Reddy and Prof. Mohan in design and creation of this manuscript.
REFERENCES
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Vessel Technology (May 1998, vol. 120).
[3]. Giovanni Belingardi, Roberto Vadori. Low velocity impact tests of laminate glass-fiber-epoxy matrix composite material
plates. International Journal of Impact Engineering 27 (2002)
[4]. Sunith Babu Loganathan, Hanumanahally Kambada Shivanand.Effect of Core Thickness and Core Density on Low
Velocity Impact Behaviour of Sandwich Panels with PU Foam Core.Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization
and Engineering, 2015.
[5]. S.H. Song, Y.S. Byun, T.W. Ku, W.J. Song, J. Kim and B.S. Kang.Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Impact
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Glass/Epoxy and Carbon/Epoxy Composite Systems.Article in materials science January 2010.
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International Journal of Innovative Research in Advanced Engineering (IJIRAE) ISSN: 2349-2163

Issue 04, Volume 4 (April 2017) (SPECIAL ISSUE) www.ijirae.com

Design, Development and Fabrication of a Fixture for Drop

Figure 1: Photograph of Drop Weight Test Machine

Figure 2: Parts of specimen holder

Figure 3: Schematic of base plate

II. SUPPORTING BUSH OR SPACERS

Figure 4: Schematic of spacer

Figure 5: Schematic of clamping plates

Figure 6: Specimen mounted on specimen holder

Figure 7: Parts of Indenter Assembly

Figure 8: Schematic of hemispherical indenter

Figure 9: Schematic of Indenter Chuck

Figure 10: Schematic of holder or lifter

Figure12: Assembly of Fixture on Drop Weight Machine.

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