From R&D to the shop floor, Compression Testing plays a key role in Automotive Manufacturing to meet strict quality controls and ensure consumer safety and product longevity.

Whether testing if shocks/struts are to specifications, if the proper gas springs have been selected for a trunk/hatch, or the force required to depress the brake/gas pedals, Compression Testing is required in almost every area of Automotive manufacturing.

The primary objective for measuring and analyzing the compressive forces of a product is to accurately determine one or more of these factors:

• How much force does it take to crush the sample or cause it to fail?
• What are the compressive forces at specific deflections?
• How much deflection or displacement occurs when a specific force is applied? 

Topics we’ll discuss:

• General overview of Compression Force Testing
• Measuring:
  • Force at a known deflection
  • Displacement at a known force
  • Peak crush or break force
• Establishing Pass/Fail criteria – internally developed specs / industry standards
• Tester types and capabilities
• Selecting the ideal compression plates, probes and fixturing
• Testers in action