Instron 2701 Series User manual

Pneumatic Grip Control
Reference Manual - Equipment M10-17166-EN Revision A
The difference is measurable
®

Electromagnetic Compatibility
Where applicable, this equipment is designed to comply with International Electromagnetic
Compatibility (EMC) standards.
To ensure reproduction of this EMC performance, connect this equipment to a low impedance
ground connection. Typical suitable connections are a ground spike or the steel frame of a
building.
Proprietary Rights Notice
This document and the information that it contains are the property of Illinois Tool Works Inc.
(ITW). Rights to duplicate or otherwise copy this document and rights to disclose the document
and the information that it contains to others and the right to use the information contained
therein may be acquired only by written permission signed by a duly authorized officer of ITW.
Trademarks
Instron®is a registered trademark of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW). Other names, logos, icons
and marks identifying Instron products and services referenced herein are trademarks of ITW
and may not be used without the prior written permission of ITW.
Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective
companies.
Original Instructions
Copyright © 2017 Illinois Tool Works Inc. All rights reserved. All of the specifications shown
in this document are subject to change without notice.
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Preliminary Pages
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General Safety Precautions
Materials testing systems are potentially hazardous.
Materials testing involves inherent hazards from high forces, rapid motions, and
stored energy. You must be aware of all moving and operating components in
the testing system that are potentially hazardous, particularly force actuators or
a moving crosshead.
Carefully read all relevant manuals and observe all Warnings and Cautions. The
term Warning is used where a hazard may lead to injury or death. The term
Caution is used where a hazard may lead to damage to equipment or to loss of
data.
Instron products, to the best of its knowledge, comply with various national and
international safety standards, in as much as they apply to materials and
structural testing. We certify that our products comply with all relevant EU
directives (CE mark).
Because of the wide range of applications with which our instruments are used,
and over which we have no control, additional protection devices and operating
procedures may be necessary due to specific accident prevention regulations,
safety regulations, further EEA directives or locally valid regulations. The extent
of our delivery regarding protective devices is defined in your initial sales
quotation. We are thus free of liability in this respect.
At your request, we will gladly provide advice and quotations for additional
safety devices such as protective shielding, warning signs or methods of
restricting access to the equipment.
The following pages detail various general warnings that you must heed at all
times while using materials testing equipment. You will find more specific
Warnings and Cautions in the text whenever a potential hazard exists.
Your best safety precautions are to gain a thorough understanding of the
equipment by reading your instruction manuals and to always use good
judgement.
It is our strong recommendation that you should carry out your own product
safety risk assessment.

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4M10-17166-EN
Warnings
Hazard - Press the Emergency Stop button whenever you consider that an
unsafe condition exists.
The Emergency Stop button removes hydraulic power or electrical drive from the
testing system and brings the hazardous elements of the system to a stop as
quickly as possible. It does not isolate the system from electrical power, other
means are provided to disconnect the electrical supply. Whenever you consider
that safety may be compromised, stop the test using the Emergency Stop
button. Investigate and resolve the situation that caused the use of the
Emergency Stop button before you reset it.
Flying Debris Hazard - Make sure that test specimens are installed correctly
in grips or fixtures in order to eliminate stresses that can cause breakage of
grip jaws or fixture components.
Incorrect installation of test specimens creates stresses in grip jaws or fixture
components that can result in breakage of these components. The high
energies involved can cause the broken parts to be projected forcefully some
distance from the test area. Install specimens in the center of the grip jaws in
line with the load path. Insert specimens into the jaws by at least the amount
recommended in your grip documentation. This amount can vary between 66%
to 100% insertion depth; refer to supplied instructions for your specific grips.
Use any centering and alignment devices provided.
Hazard - Protect electrical cables from damage and inadvertent
disconnection.
The loss of controlling and feedback signals that can result from a disconnected
or damaged cable causes an open loop condition that may drive the actuator or
crosshead rapidly to its extremes of motion. Protect all electrical cables,
particularly transducer cables, from damage. Never route cables across the
floor without protection, nor suspend cables overhead under excessive strain.
Use padding to avoid chafing where cables are routed around corners or
through wall openings.

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High/Low Temperature Hazard - Wear protective clothing when handling
equipment at extremes of temperature.
Materials testing is often carried out at non-ambient temperatures using ovens,
furnaces or cryogenic chambers. Extreme temperature means an operating
temperature exceeding 60 °C (140 °F) or below 0 °C (32 °F). You must use
protective clothing, such as gloves, when handling equipment at these
temperatures. Display a warning notice concerning low or high temperature
operation whenever temperature control equipment is in use. You should note
that the hazard from extreme temperature can extend beyond the immediate
area of the test.
Crush Hazard - Take care when installing or removing a specimen,
assembly, structure, or load string component.
Installation or removal of a specimen, assembly, structure, or load string
component involves working inside the hazard area between the grips or
fixtures. When working in this area, ensure that other personnel cannot operate
any of the system controls. Keep clear of the jaws of a grip or fixture at all times.
Keep clear of the hazard area between the grips or fixtures during actuator or
crosshead movement. Ensure that all actuator or crosshead movements
necessary for installation or removal are slow and, where possible, at a low
force setting.
Hazard - Do not place a testing system off-line from computer control
without first ensuring that no actuator or crosshead movement will occur
upon transfer to manual control.
The actuator or crosshead will immediately respond to manual control settings
when the system is placed off-line from computer control. Before transferring to
manual control, make sure that the control settings are such that unexpected
actuator or crosshead movement cannot occur.
Robotic Motion Hazard - Keep clear of the operating envelope of a robotic
device unless the device is de-activated.
The robot in an automated testing system presents a hazard because its
movements are hard to predict. The robot can go instantly from a waiting state
to high speed operation in several axes of motion. During system operation,
keep away from the operating envelope of the robot. De-activate the robot
before entering the envelope for any purpose, such as reloading the specimen
magazine.
Warnings

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6M10-17166-EN
Hazard - Set the appropriate limits before performing loop tuning or running
waveforms or tests.
Operational limits are included within your testing system to suspend motion or
shut off the system when upper and/or lower bounds of actuator or crosshead
travel, or force or strain, are reached during testing. Correct setting of
operational limits by the operator, prior to testing, will reduce the risk of damage
to test article and system and associated hazard to the operator.
Electrical Hazard - Disconnect the electrical power supply before removing
the covers to electrical equipment.
Disconnect equipment from the electrical power supply before removing any
electrical safety covers or replacing fuses. Do not reconnect the power source
while the covers are removed. Refit covers as soon as possible.
Rotating Machinery Hazard - Disconnect power supplies before removing
the covers to rotating machinery.
Disconnect equipment from all power supplies before removing any cover which
gives access to rotating machinery. Do not reconnect any power supply while
the covers are removed unless you are specifically instructed to do so in the
manual. If the equipment needs to be operated to perform maintenance tasks
with the covers removed, ensure that all loose clothing, long hair, etc. is tied
back. Refit covers as soon as possible.
Hazard - Shut down the hydraulic power supply and discharge hydraulic
pressure before disconnection of any hydraulic fluid coupling.
Do not disconnect any hydraulic coupling without first shutting down the
hydraulic power supply and discharging stored pressure to zero. Tie down or
otherwise secure all pressurized hoses to prevent movement during system
operation and to prevent the hose from whipping about in the event of a
rupture.
Hazard - Shut off the supply of compressed gas and discharge residual gas
pressure before you disconnect any compressed gas coupling.
Do not release gas connections without first disconnecting the gas supply and
discharging any residual pressure to zero.
Warnings

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Explosion Hazard - Wear eye protection and use protective shields or
screens whenever any possibility exists of a hazard from the failure of a
specimen, assembly or structure under test.
Wear eye protection and use protective shields or screens whenever a risk of
injury to operators and observers exists from the failure of a test specimen,
assembly or structure, particularly where explosive disintegration may occur.
Due to the wide range of specimen materials, assemblies or structures that may
be tested, any hazard resulting from the failure of a test specimen, assembly or
structure is entirely the responsibility of the owner and the user of the
equipment.
Hazard - Ensure components of the load string are correctly pre-loaded to
minimize the risk of fatigue failure.
Dynamic systems, especially where load reversals through zero are occurring,
are at risk of fatigue cracks developing if components of the load string are not
correctly pre-loaded to one another. Apply the specified torque to all load string
fasteners and the correct setting to wedge washers or spiral washers. Visually
inspect highly stressed components such as grips and threaded adapters prior
to every fatigue test for signs of wear or fatigue damage.
Warnings

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 2: Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mount the Control Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Interconnections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Electrical cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Air Hoses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 3: Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Adjust the Air Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Insert a Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Remove a Specimen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 4: Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Routine Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Replaceable Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Chapter 1
Introduction and Specifications
•Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
•System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
•Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Description
The 2701 Series Pneumatic Grip Control is a unit that operates pneumatic action grips.
It included a pair of foot-operated switches to open and close the grips.
The system consists of (see Figure 1 on page 12):
•a control box that mounts on one of the load frame columns
•a foot switch assembly consisting of two foot switches
•interconnecting cabling
•interconnecting hoses and hose adapters

Chapter: Introduction and Specifications
12 M10-17166-EN
Figure 1. Pneumatic Control System Configuration
System Requirements
The pressurized air source must supply reasonably dry air. In environments with high
humidity, compressing ambient air can result in significant amounts of water in the
pressurized air, which affects the performance of the grips. In this situation, a water
separator or other drying device should be included in the air supply line.
If you testing location does not have a source of pressurized air, an optional portable air
compressor is available. Contact instron for details.
Box
Grips Control
Grips
Pneumatic
Footswitch
Assembly

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Specifications
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Specifications
Table 1. Pneumatic Grip Control Specifications
Parameter Value
Input voltage 24 VAC
Maximum operating pressure 90 psi (6.2 bar)
Coefficient of flow (Cv) 0.15/0.20
Input hose termination 1/8” NPT male thread
or
1/4” hose barb

Chapter: Introduction and Specifications
14 M10-17166-EN

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Chapter 2
Installation
The grip control unit is usually installed by Instron when you purchase a testing system.
It can be purchased and installed on an existing system.
Initial installation involves adding internal cabling to the testing system. Instron Service
must therefore perform the installation.
This chapter describes the external mounting and connections only.
•Mount the Control Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
•Interconnections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Mount the Control Box
Vertical grooves in the column covers on the load frame can accommodate various
system consoles and accessories. These are held in place with friction-locking T-nuts in
the grooves.
To mount the control box (see Figure 2 on page 16):

Chapter: Installation
16 M10-17166-EN
Figure 2. Pneumatic Grip Control Overview
1. Decide where on the column you want to mount the control box.
2. Place the box against the column so that the T-nuts enter the grooves in the column.
Lightly tighten the T-nuts temporarily.
3. Make sure that the air hoses will reach the grips from the control box. Allow enough
slack for the crosshead to move during testing without putting strain on the hoses.
Adjust the position of control box up or down as necessary.
4. Tighten the T-nuts firmly. Do not over-tighten.
Interconnections
Interconnections for the pneumatic grip control consist of electrical cables and air hoses
(see Figure 3 on page 17).
Column
Slots
Locking Knobs
and T-Nuts
Internal
Cable
Frame
Interface
Board
Cable
Air Kit
Cable
Footswitch
Grip
Air
Hoses

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Interconnections
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Figure 3. Interconnections
Hose
Air Source
(User-Supplied)
Footswitch
Grips
Pneumatic
Grip
Control
Box
Frame
Interface
Board
Hose
Barb
Pipe
Thread
Adapter
Frame
Cable
Interface
Grip Hoses
Cable
Footswitch
Hose
Clamp
Cable
Grip Control

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18 M10-17166-EN
Figure 4. Air Hose Connections
Electrical cables
See Figure 3 on page 17.
1. Connect one end of the air kit cable to the appropriate connector on the frame.
2. Connect the other end of the air kit cable to the FRAME connector on the air kit
control box.
3. Connect the foot switch cable to the FOOT SWITCH connector on the air kit control
box.

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Interconnections
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Air Hoses
Three air hoses are supplied with the system; two connect to the grips and the third
connects to the pressurized air source.
The grip hoses are supplied with all necessary couplings and adapters. The supply hose
is supplied with several common connector options to deal with different air supplies.
See Figure 4 on page 18.
1. Connect one end of the coiled upper grip hose (A563-532) to the air outlet connector
marked Aon the control box.
2. Connect the other end of the hose to the upper grip.
3. Connect one of the lower grip hose (A563-41) to the air outlet connector marked Bon
the control box.
4. Connect the other end of the hose to the lower grip.
5. Connect one of the supply air hose to the connector marked Pon the control box.
6. Connect the other end of the supply air hose to the source of pressurized air or to the
Instron portable air compressor, if supplied.
These connections set the system up so that the first press of the foot switch operates
the upper grip and the second press operates the lower grip. If you want to reverse that
order, reverse the connections to Aand Bthe control box.

Chapter: Installation
20 M10-17166-EN