TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

IOE, PULCHOWK CAMPUS

Proposal On Conceptual Modeling And Design Of

Tensile Testing Instrument For Bio-Fibers
(Specially Hair Of Different Animals)

Basant Regmi
Manjul Regmi
Nawaraj Shrestha

Department of Mechanical Engineering

IOE,Pulchowk Campus

June 22, 2018

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr.Sagar Regmi sir and
Mr.Hari Dura sir for providing this great opportunity to embark on this
topic.This project could not have been possible without the motivation and
aspiring guidance of our teacher.Their theoretical concepts and practical
knowledge was really backbone for our project.
Many people, especially our classmates and team members itself, have
made valuable comment and suggestions on this proposal which gave us an
inspiration to improve our project. This opportunity was a great learning
experience for us.
 ABSTRACT

In today’s world any thing we design should be eco-friendly as possible.It

would be a great achievement if we are able to design a product from nat-
ural source and consuming minimum energy. Bio-fibers can withstand high
tensile strength with less density .It would be a great deal to environment
if we can replace existing synthetic fibers with these eco-friendly fibers.
For the use of these eco-friendly fibers in structural works their tensile
properties of these fibers are to be determined.Reminded of the fact that
these fiber have small dimension which makes their test quite challenging.
This study focuses on the design of the very sensitive instrument and deter-
mining the tensile properties of the fiber.
 Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Scope \ Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 PROBLEM STATEMENT 2
2.1 Loading: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Griping Mechanism: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.3 Measurements: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3 VALIDITY OF RESEARCH 3
3.1 Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.1.1 Human Error: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.1.2 Instrumental Error: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.1.3 Other External Errors: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4 DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 5

4.1 Design Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 Detail Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2.1 Clamping Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2.2 Stress Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2.3 Strain Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.3 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3.1 Fiber Diameter Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3.2 Strain and Stress Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3.3 Calculation Of The Tensile Strength . . . . . . . . . . 8

5 LIMITATIONS 8

6 EXPECTED RESULTS 9

5
1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Engineering materials play a vital role in development of modern technology.
Before using any thing in a structure or machine the strength of the material
is to be determined . For the measure of the tensile strength of the material
the stress-strain curve is plotted. The fiber is subjected to certain stress
then the corresponding strain is measured with the suitable instrument.
With the help of the curve we can determine the strength of the fiber.Till
now test of these animal fibers are constricted only in hair products like
conditioner,shampoo etc. For further use in structural engineering proper
test with greater precision and accuracy is needed.
The diameter of hair ranges in micrometers,which is very small.Thus the
major challenges is it’s size,which is difficult to take dimensions and also
the loading and the gripping of the fiber.Therefore for the measure of the
strength, the instrument should be highly sensitive and also the loading.
Another problem might arises during clamping, the clamping might causes
breaking the fiber near clamped region which might be overcome by padding
near the clamps which might avoid the stress concentration.Also horn grips
can be used where fiber is wrapped several times which makes the grip strong
enough.

1.2 Objectives
• The major objective of this project is to design the instrument for
tensile testing of fibers.

• To determine the tensile strength of bio-fiber (specially hair of ani-

mals).

• To analyze the behavior of single strand of fiber under the axial loading
and plot the stress strain curve.

• To be familiar with the use of LATEX.

1.3 Scope \ Significance

These bio-fibers are being used for years but the focus are mainly on plant
fibers. To overcome this dependency on plant fibers we have to delve more
on animal fibers. In cosmetics product there is always need of the mechan-
ical test data of hair for the better production(hair gels,conditioner,combs
etc.).In any textile product the quality depends on the quality of single
strand of a fiber.Thus the tensile test is useful in textile industry as well.
Nowadays NFC(Natural Fiber Composites) are being widely used thus the

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tensile test of single strand will be very useful to determine the tensile
strength of whole composite.

2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
There are several obstacle that we might face during the test which we
need to overcome for the precise measurement of the tensile properties of
the fiber.It’s really challenging that what methodologies we apply to deal
with such micro dimension. So it’s very difficult to the perform the test
accurately.We should apply very sensitive loading techniques and an appro-
priate griping technique. Some of the conventional techniques and major
challenges to tackle during the test are described below:

2.1 Loading:
Majority of the tensile testing instruments uses the hydraulic or the pneu-
matic loading mechanism to provide the axial tension. As we are dealing
with the single strand of the fiber, which is only capable of bearing small
loads (50-100g). Thus these heavy loading are not appropriate for our test.

2.2 Griping Mechanism:

Many of the tensile testing instruments uses the simple mechanical grips.these
simple mechanism cannot be used for the tensile test of micro fibers.Gripping
very thin and strong materials for tensile testing can be challenging.Simply
clamping them can create large stress concentrations at the edges of the grip
jaws. These stress concentrations can cause premature failures right at the
grip edges.Thus mechanical griping cannot be used.

2.3 Measurements:
Measurement of the dimensions and forces at the micro level is quite diffi-
cult.At this level we have to use very precise and sensitive measuring device
with high resolution. As the readings are very small the amplifying mecha-
nism or the amplifying circuits should be used.

2
3 VALIDITY OF RESEARCH
As the fibers are tested there is always an expectation or the expected re-
sult,but the result might or might not meet our claim. The result will
show the actual performance of the specimen in service .There are a lot of
factors causing the variability in what the instrument is intended to mea-
sure.Environmental issues, way we perform the test,instrumental errors are
some of those factors that affects the validity of our test.We should always
try to keep the variations as low as possible. Here are some of the factors
causing the variations:
• The environmental condition such as temperature,humidity.some of
the fibers changes their mechanical and physical properties according
to change in moisture content and temperature.

• Human influences on the test,the way one follow the procedure.

• Some of the instrumental conditions and also the condition such as

pressure,speed etc.

• The nature of the fiber itself.

3.1 Errors
3.1.1 Human Error:
This experiment is basically based on human effort.How a individual handles
the instrument ,how he made the appropriate adjustments and take reading
all depends on his level of consciousness and his skill.Thus during our test
there is likely to have few human errors which might be solved by following
procedure thoroughly and having high level of dedication to the test. This
kind of errors can be reduced taking proper care during measurement and
calibration, and conducting experiment carefully.

3.1.2 Instrumental Error:

Instrument itself might posses some drawbacks.In our test the dial calipers
is used to detect the change in the length of the fiber, which consist of gears
that might posses some backlash errors,also there might be zero error in the
caliper.There might be some error in force gauge.

3.1.3 Other External Errors:

environmental issues like humidity and temperature might cause certain
change in the properties of the fiber,further more addition of moister causes
some fibers to swell which directly affect the mechanical properties of the
fiber and will add some errors in the test. The vibration of instrument,pressure,air

3
currents might causes some errors during the test. To reduce these errors
test should be performed in standard conditions.
These errors results in slight variation of the reading than what the in-
strument is intended to measure. 100% validity can never be obtained.Only
thing we can do is to minimize the error,make some improvements which
would increase the validity to some extent.

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4 DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

4.1 Design Overview

In our instrument design we have included following components;the digi-
tal force gauge with strain gauge as the load cell for the measurement of
strain,better grips with rubber pad on clamping jaws,the dial caliper with a
adjustable knob for the measurement of the elongation.On the fixed jaw the
digital force gauge is fixed and the other end is made movable with pointer
scale on it.And there is fixed scale on the base with a rack for the movement
of the sliding pointer carriage.
In our design at first the elongation is adjusted to some value with the
help of knob and for that elongation tension is measured.Thus our design will
note the stress for the given (adjusted) strain.The sliding mechanism is made
possible with the help of rack and pinion.Pointer carriage is facilitated with
a adjustable knob ,driving gear and a gear train which will eventually cause
the movement of the pointer. The digital force gauge is used to record the
tension on the fiber . it consist the digital display unit for the measurement
of the force.

4.2 Detail Design

Here is the detail description of every parts and mechanism used in the
instrument:

4.2.1 Clamping Technique

A machine can only be exploited to its full capacity if the right fixtures or
grips are used. One of our major challenge to provide and appropriate clamp
to such a micro fiber with high strength.The fiber is to be clamped tight
enough to avoid the slip but this would create stress concentration near the
clamped end. the jaws of the vice will create the stress concentration and
eventually the fiber is likely to be fracture near the clamped region with
out approaching the ultimate strength limit. Thus to overcome this defect
instead of clamping fiber directly into the clamping jaws we planed to use
the rubber pads in between the jaws,which would be a better grip executing
less stress on the fiber.Thus we can firmly execute our test without damaging
the fiber.

4.2.2 Stress Measurement

A digital force gauge is basically a hand held instrument that contains a
load cell, electronic part, software and a display. A load cell is an electronic
device that is used to convert a force into an electrical signal.In our test strain
gauge is used as the load cell to convert force into electrical signal. Through

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a mechanical arrangement, the force being sensed deforms a strain gauge.
The strain gauge converts the deformation (strain) to electrical signals. The
software and electronics of the force gauge convert the voltage of the load
cell into a force value that is displayed on the instrument.

4.2.3 Strain Measurement

For our design we have used the dial caliper for the measurement of the
elongation of the fiber.Dial calipers use a rack and pinion mechanism sys-
tem, which transfers the linear movement of the jaws of the caliper to the
rotary motion of the pointer.Inside the dial there is a train of gears which
mechanically drive the pointer. The dial is engaged with a toothed gear
rack that runs along the length of the main beam. As the jaws open or
close, the pinions inside the dial travel down this rack.Small movements of
the jaws are amplified and transformed into larger movements that are in-
dicated on the dial.The position is adjusted with the help of a driving knob
, which will make the driving gear to rotate ,which eventually will drive the
pinion gear.Then the pinion will move on the rack and this also causes the
movement of the pointer.

Figure 1: Rack and Pinion

Figure 2: Dial Indicator

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4.3 Methodology
With the help of above mentioned design we are planning to measure the
tensile strength of the fiber. For this first we will calculate the dimension of
the fiber with the help of HE-NE laser . Then the fiber is clamped properly
and the fiber is adjusted just straight without any stress and the reading for
initial condition is noted .Now with the help of the adjustable knob we will
adjust the movable pointer carriage and provide some elongation , which is
noted with the help of main scale and the pointer. Now there will be some
tension experienced on the fiber. Along with the fiber the force gauge will
also experience the same tension which is further converted to the electrical
signal and force value is displayed on the screen.
Finally wee will be able to measure the stress for the provided elongation
of the fiber.And now Stress-Strain curve can be plotted with the help of the
obtained data then modulus of elasticity,yield strength and ultimate tensile
strength can be easily calculated.

4.3.1 Fiber Diameter Measurement

For the measurement of fibers diameter Helium-Neon laser is used.The hair
acts as a single slit when a parallel beam of laser light is incident normally
on the fiber and it suffers diffraction. The transmitted light gives rise to
maxima for different orders in certain directions.Equation is given by,

d sin θn = nλ

nλ
d=
sin θn
where, d is the diameter of the fiber, θn is the angle of diffraction for nth
order and λ is the wavelength of the He-Ne laser light.

4.3.2 Strain and Stress Measurement

After clamping of hair on the fiber, we adjust the movable jaw with the help
of the adjustment knob ,which will rotate the driving gear and then the
pinion gear will move on the rack . After some adjustment we will take the
reading o the main scale and then caliper reading is shown by the pointer.
In this way the elongation of the fiber is measured.
For the determination of the applied force digital force gause is used.
Where strain gauge is used as the load shell. As soon as certain elongation
is adjusted with the help of knob, on the other end the force gauge will
feel some tensile force ,which in return will convert a force into an electrical
signal. Which will be shown on digital display .

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4.3.3 Calculation Of The Tensile Strength
The Young’s Modulus of elasticity for the fiber in the elastic region is cal-
culated using Hooke’s law.

N ormalStress(σ)
E=
N ormalStrain(δ)

F l
or, E = ×
A δl
Finally,ultimate tensile strength is calculated using the load at the frac-
ture point.
loadatf racture(F )
σU T =
cross − area(A)
F
σU T =
A
In this way we will be able to calculate the tensile strength of the bio-fiber.
Young’s modulus ( E ) describes tensile elasticity, or the tendency of an
object to deform along an axis when opposing forces are applied along that
axis.Whereas the ultimate tensile strength measures the maximum stress
that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before break-
ing.

5 EXPECTED RESULTS
After all this design and methods of the test ,it is expected that it will
analyze the mechanical properties of the bio-fiber under the axial loading
(Tension).By adjusting the elongation of the hair one can measure the ten-
sion for that elongation. With both stress and strain known one would be
able to plot the strain stress diagram. After that it will be easier to calculate
the Young’s Modulus and the ultimate tensile strength.

6 LIMITATIONS
This design is basically focused on animal fibers(specially hair).Thus it might
not account the plant fibers accurately.We are cautious about the clamping
technique but we cannot avoid the stress concentration completely.The me-
chanical properties of the fiber is affected by moister content,temperature
but we can’t totally create an ideal condition which might affect the expected
result. This instrument cannot be used for high value of tension.