Sample Grips

The sample grips are attached to the fixed top crosshead
and the moving lower crosshead of the machine. The
weight of the upper grip is part of the force seen by the load
cell, and it should, therefore, be in place and without a
sample at the time that the load cell is calibrated.

During Sample loading, the jaws of the grips stay a fixed
distance apart, the outer housing moving to apply a lateral
force to the sample. The jaws are tightened by rotating the
two crossbars.
When the sample experiences a uniaxial tensile force, the
jaws are forced into closer contact with the sample to prevent it from slipping. The jaws have a rough sample contact surface to aid in this objective.