MTS Systems Landmark 370 Series Instruction Manual

MTS Landmark® Test System Operation
Using MTS FlexTest® Controller Software and MTS TestSuite® MPX Testing
Software
100-275-889 C

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Landmark, MTS TestSuite, RPC, SWIFT, Temposonics, TestWare, TestWorks are registered
trademarks of MTS Systems Corporation within the United States. Acumen, AdapTrac, Advantage,
Aero ST, Aero-90, AeroPro, Criterion, cRPC, Exceed, First Road, Landmark, MAST, MicroProfiler,
MPT, MTS Exceed, MTS Fundamentals, MTS TestSuite, ReNew, SilentFlo, TempoGuard, TestLine,
Tytron, Virtual Test Lab, and VTL are trademarks of MTS Systems Corporation within the United
States. These trademarks may be registered in other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Proprietary Software
Software use and license is governed by MTS’ End User License Agreement which defines all rights
retained by MTS and granted to the End User. All Software is proprietary, confidential, and owned by
MTS Systems Corporation and cannot be copied, reproduced, disassembled, decompiled, reverse
engineered, or distributed without express written consent of MTS.
Software Verification and Validation
MTS software is developed using established quality practices in accordance with the requirements
detailed in the ISO 9001 standards. Because MTS-authored software is delivered in binary format, it is
not user accessible. This software will not change over time. Many releases are written to be backwards
compatible, creating another form of verification. The status and validity of MTS’ operating software is
also checked during system verification and routine calibration of MTS hardware. These controlled
calibration processes compare the final test results after statistical analysis against the predicted
response of the calibration standards. With these established methods, MTS assures its customers that
MTS products meet MTS’ exacting quality standards when initially installed and will continue to perform
as intended over time.
Manual Part
Number
Publication
Date Release
100-275-889 C
(English)
January 2015 MTS TestSuite Multipurpose 3.0 or later / 793 Controller
Software 5.8 or later
100-275-889 B
(English)
March 2014 MTS TestSuite Multipurpose 2.6 or later / 793 Controller
Software 5.7 or later
100-275-889 A
(English)
August 2013 MTS TestSuite Multipurpose 2.6 or later / 793 Controller
Software 5.7 or later

Landmark™ Test System Operation 3
Technical Support 7
How to Get Technical Support 7
Start with your manuals 7
Technical support methods 7
Outside the U.S. 7
Before You Contact MTS 7
Know your site number and system number 7
Know information from prior technical assistance 8
Identify the problem 8
Know relevant computer information 8
Know relevant software information 8
If You Contact MTS by Phone 9
Identify system type 9
Be prepared to troubleshoot 9
Write down relevant information 9
After you call 10
Problem Submittal Form 10
Preface 11
Before You Begin 11
Safety first! 11
Documentation Conventions 11
Hazard conventions 11
Other special text conventions 12
Special terms 12
Illustrations 12
Electronic manual conventions 12
Hypertext links 12
Safety 13
General Safety Practices 14
Safety Practices Before Operating the System 14
Safety Practices While Operating the System 19
Load Unit Hazard Labels 21
System Introduction 25
About This Manual 26
About Other MTS Documentation 26
Contents

4Landmark™ Test System Operation
Hardware Manuals 26
Software Help 26
Documentation Access on MTS.com 26
System Overview 27
Load Frame Overview 28
Introduction 28
Component Identification 28
Load Frame Controls Overview 29
Control Panel 29
Software Overview 31
MTS FlexTest (Series 793) Controller Software - Station Manager Application 31
MTS TestSuite Test Software - MTS Multipurpose (MP) Express Application 36
Key Concepts 41
About This Chapter 42
Understanding Your MTS Software 42
MTS FlexTest Controller Software and the Station Manager Application 42
MTS TestSuite Test Software and the MTS TW Express application 43
Understanding MTS File Types 44
File Types 44
Creating and Modifying Parameter Sets 46
Selecting and Saving Parameter Sets 47
How MTS Files Work Together 47
Understanding the Control Loop 48
Closed Loop Control Step-by-Step 48
Understanding Control Channels and Control Modes 50
Control Channel (For example, Actuator) 50
Control Modes (For example, Force or Displacement) 50
Using Control Modes 50
Control Mode Example 50
Using Detectors and Actions to Protect Yourself and Your Equipment 50
Sensor Limits 51
Detector Actions 51
Setting Limits Before Specimen Installation 51
Setting Limits Before Testing 51
Using the E-Stop Control 51
Understanding the Load Train 51
Positioning the Crosshead to Install the Specimen 52
Contents

Landmark™ Test System Operation 5
Positioning the Actuator to Install the Specimen 53
Optimizing System Response Before Testing 53
Why Tuning Is Beneficial 53
Loop Tuning for the Example Test 53
Understanding and Resolving Error Conditions 53
Using Application Logs to Identify Error Conditions 54
Running the Example HCF Test 55
About This Chapter 56
Adapting This Chapter to Your System 56
Test Procedure Overview 56
Prepare for Specimen Installation 57
Turn on the Station 58
Open the Station Manager Application 58
Verify Calibration Files 60
Set Up Meters for Specimen Installation 61
Set Limits for Specimen Installation 64
Zero the Force Signal 66
Set Initial Tuning Parameters 67
Install the Specimen 70
Power up the Pump and HPU 70
Position the Actuator Using Displacement Control 71
Zero Displacement 73
Clamp the Specimen in the Lower Grip 74
Position the Crosshead 76
Move the Specimen into the Upper Grip Using Displacement Control 76
Switch to Force Control 77
Clamp the Specimen in the Upper Grip 77
Check and Reset Meter History 78
Prepare to Run the Test 79
Perform Basic Performance Tuning 79
Switch to Peak Valley Meters 88
Adjust Limits for the Test 90
Show Station Manager Scope and Meters for the Test 91
Minimize Station Manager 92
Run the Example HCF Test 93
Open the MPX Application 94
Select the Test 94
If Necessary, Correct Any Resource Errors 95
Create a New Test Run 95
Contents

6Landmark™ Test System Operation
Run the Test 97
Review the Results 98
Generate a Report 99
Save the Test and Minimize MPX 100
Remove the Specimen 100
Remove Displacement Limits 101
Switch to Running Max/Min Displacement and Force Meters 101
If Appropriate, Remove the Intact Specimen 102
If Appropriate, Remove the Broken Specimen 105
Recover from a Tripped Limit 106
If Necessary, Recover from a Tripped Force Limit 107
If Necessary, Recover from a Tripped Displacement Limit 110
Maintenance 115
Routine Maintenance Overview Checklist 116
Maintenance Intervals 119
Daily Inspections 120
Decommissioning 123
Decommission 124
Index 127
Contents

Technical Support
Landmark™ Test System Operation 7
Technical Support
How to Get Technical Support
Start with your manuals
The manuals supplied by MTS provide most of the information you need to use and maintain your
equipment. If your equipment includes software, look for online help and README files that contain
additional product information.
Technical support methods
MTS provides a full range of support services after your system is installed. If you have any questions
about a system or product, contact Technical Support in one of the following ways.
Type of
Support Details
Web site www.mts.com > Contact Us > In the Subject field, choose To escalate a problem;
Problem Submittal Form
E-mail Worldwide: [e-mail]
Europe: [e-mail]
Telephone Worldwide: 1 800 328 2255 - toll free in U.S.; [phone] - outside U.S.
Europe: [phone], International toll free in Europe
Outside the U.S.
For technical support outside the United States, contact your local sales and service office. For a list of
worldwide sales and service locations and contact information, use the Global MTS link at the MTS
web site:
www.mts.com > About MTSSystems >Global Presence >Choose a Region
Before You Contact MTS
MTS can help you more efficiently if you have the following information available when you contact us
for support.
Know your site number and system number
The site number contains your company number and identifies your equipment type (such as material
testing or simulation). The number is typically written on a label on your equipment before the system
leaves MTS. If you do not know your MTS site number, contact your sales engineer.
Example site number: 571167

Technical Support
8Landmark™ Test System Operation
When you have more than one MTS system, the system job number identifies your system. You can
find your job number in your order paperwork.
Example system number: US1.42460
Know information from prior technical assistance
If you have contacted MTS about this problem before, we can recall your file based on the:
lMTS case number
lName of the person who helped you
Identify the problem
Describe the problem and know the answers to the following questions:
lHow long and how often has the problem occurred?
lCan you reproduce the problem?
lWere any hardware or software changes made to the system before the problem started?
lWhat are the equipment model numbers?
lWhat is the controller model (if applicable)?
lWhat is the system configuration?
Know relevant computer information
For a computer problem, have the following information available:
lManufacturer’s name and model number
lOperating software type and service patch information
lAmount of system memory
lAmount of free space on the hard drive where the application resides
lCurrent status of hard-drive fragmentation
lConnection status to a corporate network
Know relevant software information
For software application problems, have the following information available:
lThe software application’s name, version number, build number, and (if available) software
patch number. This information can typically be found in the About selection in the Help menu.
lThe names of other applications on your computer, such as:
lAnti-virus software
lScreen savers
lKeyboard enhancers
lPrint spoolers
lMessaging applications

Technical Support
Landmark™ Test System Operation 9
If You Contact MTS by Phone
A Call Center agent registers your call before connecting you with a technical support specialist. The
agent asks you for your:
lSite number
lEmail address
lName
lCompany name
lCompany address
lPhone number where you can be reached
If your issue has a case number, please provide that number. A new issue will be assigned a unique
case number.
Identify system type
To enable the Call Center agent to connect you with the most qualified technical support specialist
available, identify your system as one of the following types:
lElectrodynamic material test system
lElectromechanical material test system
lHydromechanical material test system
lVehicle test system
lVehicle component test system
lAero test system
Be prepared to troubleshoot
Prepare to perform troubleshooting while on the phone:
lCall from a telephone close to the system so that you can implement suggestions made over
the phone.
lHave the original operating and application software media available.
lIf you are not familiar with all aspects of the equipment operation, have an experienced user
nearby to assist you.
Write down relevant information
In case Technical Support must call you:
lVerify the case number.
lRecord the name of the person who helped you.
lWrite down any specific instructions.

Technical Support
10 Landmark™ Test System Operation
After you call
MTS logs and tracks all calls to ensure that you receive assistance for your problem or request. If you
have questions about the status of your problem or have additional information to report, please
contact Technical Support again and provide your original case number.
Problem Submittal Form
Use the Problem Submittal Form to communicate problems with your software, hardware, manuals, or
service that are not resolved to your satisfaction through the technical support process. The form
includes check boxes that allow you to indicate the urgency of your problem and your expectation of an
acceptable response time. We guarantee a timely response—your feedback is important to us.
You can access the Problem Submittal Form at www.mts.com > Contact Us (upper-right corner) > In
the Subject field, choose To escalate a problem; Problem Submittal Form