Jump to the content of the page

GMT relies on creep testing systems from ZwickRoell

In the course of their extensive component qualification activities the development department of GMT Gummi-Metall-Technik GmbH uses a ZwickRoell Kappa 250 DS for creep behavior determination and prediction of elastomer components.

GMT Gummi-Metall-Technik GmbH is an international company with a sales network in over thirty countries and more than 1,000 employees around the world. As a manufacturer of key rubber-metal components GMT is specialized in noise and vibration technology. The GMT headquarter is located in Bühl, Germany. With over 50 years of experience in rubber technology, the company is focused on delivering on its customers' requirements and securing future customer relations through innovative components.

Depending on the mixing ratio, vulcanized rubber, often simply referred to as rubber, can be used in almost any (environmental) conditions. However, the stand-out properties of rubber are always present. These include elasticity under mechanical loading and regaining the original shape after the application of force, as well as good mechanical properties. This makes it ideal for use in a wide range of sectors, including plant and mechanical engineering, railway vehicles, aviation, construction machinery and the commercial vehicle industry.

The complexity of the material and the many different operating conditions demand a high degree of certainty concerning its specific properties and those required by the customer. Rubber and rubber-metal composites are used with increasing frequency over wide and/or high temperature ranges, or may undergo significant self-heating due to high-frequency cyclic loadings. Creep testing is thus more important than ever for qualification of components.

Around 35 people are employed in the development department at the GMT headquarter. In 2016 the creep testing laboratory was equipped with a Messphysik electromechanical creep testing machine. The Kappa 250 DS has a temperature chamber for creep tests up to +250°C and can apply loads up to 250 kN, while the flexible test area is adjustable via one screw-drive. These features enable GMT to test large components under actual service conditions. Both creep tests (constant load and temperature) and stress relaxation tests (constant strain and temperature) can be performed. Key test parameters in creep tests are exact, constant mechanical and thermal loading of the specimen. The contact-type extensometer records specimen deformations in accordance with EN ISO 9513 Accuracy Class 0.5 and transmits them to the testXpert II software.

"Our close collaboration with ZwickRoell, paired with the active exchange of information on innovative testing, enables us to expand our knowledge of the fascinating world of rubber, from which both we as a company and our customers and partners benefit." - Mark Schwetz, GMT Gummi-Metall-Technik GmbH.

Top