The Dow Chemical Company

James K Rieke

Ritchey O Newman, Jr

Donald R Wright

William A Kirksey

Richard L Scott

A tensile testing apparatus comprises a magazine or holder for test specimens. The specimens are disposed horizontally with their end portions constrained by U-shaped channels. Slots at the lower ends of the channels are provided for pulling the lowermost test specimen therethrough under the action of robot fingers, the fingers pulling the specimen to a 90 degree slide whereupon the fingers are lowered and the test specimen slides down the slide and is rotated 90 degrees before coming to rest on seats at the ends of the slides. The now retracted robot fingers are turned 90 degrees and spread apart for movement toward the test specimen which is then gripped and lifted upwardly from the seats and then transferred to a testing machine, tested and then removed from the testing machine.

Tensile test apparatus embodying novel specimen bar magazine

A metal-plastic-metal structural laminate which can be formed into various useful articles having compound curves using conventional metal forming techniques. The laminate comprises two metal skin layers and a centrally disposed polymer layer comprising a core layer, and optionally first and second adhesive layers. Each metal skin layer is 2 to 20 mils, the ratio of the core thickness to skin thickness is less than 9:1 and the total laminate thickness is 5 to 65 mils. The laminate can be bent to 90.degree. to a critical radius, the distance between the pivot point and the inner skin surface of the laminate, without metal rupture.

Growing community of inventors

Midland, MI, United States of America

James K Rieke