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In This Issue
Troubleshooting at the Speed of Light
Test Flicks: Behind the Scenes at IPS
Explore Our Experts: Q & A
Troubleshooting at the Speed of Light
Thermo Scientific Nicolet FT-IRWe recently purchased a new Thermo Scientific Nicolet™ 6700 Fast Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometer and an extensive OMNIC™ Infrared Spectral Software Library.

With this new spectroscopy system in place, we now have an even more powerful analytical tool for the identification of organic and inorganic compounds for troubleshooting.

Infrared (IR) troubleshooting for the paper industry may involve the analysis of defects, deposits, chemical components and other materials of interest. This is where an advanced FT-IR Spectrophotometer system plays a significant role.

View a Sample FT-IR Scan and Analysis>>
Read More About FT-IR Capabilities >>
Test Flicks: Behind the Scenes at IPS
Watch a test method be performed by one of our Testing Experts!

Strip Tensile Test
 
View this test >>
View test data and listen to an analysis >>

Test Method
: TAPPI T494, TAPPI T220, and ASTM D882 (Most common, there are several other Strip Tensile Tests)

Explanation of Test Method:
A rectangular specimen is cut from a piece of sample material. The specimen is clamped in a tensile frame using appropriate grips.The machine is then started and typically pulls the specimen at a constant speed to rupture. During the test, a computer simultaneously records elongation and resulting load points at fixed time intervals; calculations are performed on these data pairs upon test completion. Proper selection of test machine grips, speeds, data filter rates and data correction (e.g. slack and machine compliance corrections) are imperative.   

Common Uses:
Many different material parameters can be obtained from this test, including: rupture or yield force, stress or tensile strength, strain and energy, and extensional stiffness/elastic modulus.

For more information about this test >>
Explore Our Experts: Q & A
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Meet our staff! This week's featured IPS Test Expert is Oliver Renier. Before joining IPS in 2007, he spent 28 years researching product/material development and instrumentation for Kimberly Clark Corp.

Q: What is your job title and position at IPS?
A:I am officially the "Quality Manager and Plant Engineer," but I wear additional hats, including: IT Manager and Mechanical Test Consultant. I also remove hornet nests and trim trees, but that is more of a punishment for when I misbehave.

Q: What are your testing specialties or areas of interest?
A: Mechanical testing with emphasis on elastic property measurement, model development and data analysis, material and equipment theory and design, and time series data analysis using Fourier methods.

Q: What do your daily responsibilities entail?
A:I perform mechanical test problem solving, instrument repair and maintenance, quality system monitoring, facilities maintenance and improvement, and server and PC support and maintenance. The order varies with the priorities of the day. That's part of the fun of this job; many different challenges keep me out of a rut.

Q: What is your favorite test to run?
A: I don't really run tests anymore, but I do get involved in test problem solving such as modifying tests for non-typical materials. I also get to do occasional data analysis and consulting. I particularly enjoy trying to deduce fundamental or empirical material parameters from existing test data.

Q: What helpful Web sites or materials do you recommend for others in the paper and pulp industry?
A:One can get test specifics from any number of test standardization bodies like ASTM or TAPPI, but understanding how to choose the right test and how to effectively utilize the resulting data, or understanding "what it means," is not available from any single source. Effective interpretation of test data requires years of experience and a variety of formal or informal training, especially in material science. Unfortunately, material science courses-- especially ones that us 'mere mortals' can understand-- are not readily available at most technical universities.

Have a question for Oliver? E-mail him today!
Thank you again for being a valued partner to IPS. If you have any questions or are looking for testing solutions, please contact us. We are happy to help! If you know anyone in your network that may be interested in receiving this information, feel free to share the IPS E-newsletter with them.
 
Best regards,

Bruce Shafer

IPS Testing Experts

www.ipstesting.com
August 2010
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