MVE-100 Machine Vision Extensometer

MVE-100 Core with camera

The MVE-100 is a high performance machine vision non-contact extensometer that measures elongation, crack opening displacement and strain over a gauge length defined between any two marks on a deforming material under applied generalized load. It is ideally suited for testing elastomers, rubber, plastics, metal alloys, and other materials with very small or very high strain to failure. It is also ideally suited for measuring strain between any two points on any structure under any strain-inducing excitation (e.g., mechanical, thermal)

Advantages over conventional contact extensometers

The MVE-100 machine vision extensometer that offers many advantages over traditional contacting extensometers, including:

Measurement performance that exceeds that of a traditional contact extensometer;
No interaction with the test specimen or structure;
No problems associated with knife-edge slippage;
No errors due to inertia of moving parts;
No wear of moving parts; and
No possibility of damage due to energy release at specimen failure.

Advantages over other non-contact extensometers

The MVE-100 offers many advantages over other non- contacting extensometers, including:
High Performance: More sensitive, more precise, and more efficient computationally.
Omni-directionality: Ability to measure elongation and strain along a gauge length between any two points defining any direction on the surface of a deforming specimen or structure.
Multicomponent Measurement: Ability to measure both horizontal and vertical components of elongation between two points defining an inclined direction as well as the total.
Signal Interface: Provides analog inputs and outputs as well as external and internal triggering capability and strobing capability for controlling external devices.
Multicore Control Unit: Contains Intel® i7 multi-core computational capability with 16 Gb RAM and 256 Gb mass storage, thus not requiring external computer.
Integrated Design: The signal interface and control units are encapsulated in a single device.
Networking: The system can access your 802.11x WiFi network via its dual antenna system as well as your wired network via its RJ45 connector.
Digital Connectivity: The system can be connected to any peripheral via the four USB-3.0 ports.
Video Display Connectivity: The system can be connected to any display monitor via the available mini-HDMI and mini DisplayPort ports.
Small Footprint: Extremely small form factor (160 mm x 113 mm x 95 mm).
Operating Simplicity: Very short installation time. Merely apply two dots to the surface of the specimen or structure of interest and point the camera at them.
Wider application range: Can be used within environmental chambers or extreme environmental conditions over a wide temperature range.
Integrated Software: Extremely simple operating workflow. Capability to capture and display extension and strain histories as well as stress-strain curves (when load is acquired through the analog input interface). Supported under the Microsoft® Windows® 10 operating system.
Compatibility: Can be used with any system in your lab that accepts a ±10V analog input, regardless of manufacturer or age.

Applications

The MVE-100 enables measurement of elongation, crack opening displacement, and strain of any material, in tension, compression, bending, torsion for both static and time-dependent loading conditions according to many ASTM, ISO and JIS standards. A partial list of supported standards follows:
Metals test standards including ASTM E8, ISO 6892, ASTM E517, and JIS Z2254;
Plastics test standards including ASTM D638, ISO 527-2, ASTM D882, and ISO 527-3; and
Composites test standards including ASTM D3039 and ISO 527-4.

Hardware Description

The MVE-100 core is enclosed in small portable aluminum chassis and contains the following interface and control subsystems:
Analog to Digital subsystem: for acquiring analog signals originating from other laboratory equipment such as load cells, temperature sensors, mechanical extensometers, etc.
Digital to Analog subsystem: for exporting extension or strain time series data to other recording or visualization equipment.
Computational Control Unit: This unit is based on an Intel® NUC® subsystem based on an i7-5557U dual-core CPU @ 3.10 GHz, supported by 16 Gb of RAM and a built-in 256 Gb Solid State Drive, with WiFi and direct wired Ethernet connectivity.
Connectors: FRONT: 6 BNC Analog Inputs, 4 BNC Analog Outputs, Strobe BNC output, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 3.5 mm TRS phone connector for audio output (female). REAR: 2 Camera Triggering 4 pin connectors, 2 USB 3.0, mini-HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, RJ45, DC power.

Software Description

The MVE-100 comes integrated with the Ariston-EX™ custom software running under the 64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 10 Professional operating system. This software enables the user to implement five very simple steps:

Adjust acquisition and visualization choices;
Adjust thresholding of live image stream;
Select relevant pair of dots;
Initiate/terminate test; and
Export or post-process acquired data if needed.

Inventory of Items included in the shipment

The shipment delivered to our customers contains the following items:

MVE-100 core;
Digital Camera optimized for your application;
Lens optimized for your application;
LED array light Source;
Light and camera support fixtures;
Tripod;
Cables;
Marking Pens;
Shock absorbing transport/storage case; and
Export or post-process acquired data if needed.

Certification

The MVE-100 is currently tested under the ASTM E83 or/and ISO 9513 standards. Calibration certificate can be made available upon request.

Specification*	Value*
Strain Precision:	30 uStrain (typical)
Strain Precision with tMARCH™:	~ 3 uStrain
Min strain (99.7% confidence at 1 Hz acq. rate):	~ 9 uStrain
Max strain:	Configuration dependent, >2000% is achievable
Minimum typical Field Of View (FOV ):	30 mm for 50mm Lens
X-Y displacement resolution:	1/200,000 × FOV
Strain Acquisition Rate:	up to 500Hz
ASTM E83 Calibration Class:	Under evaluation
Analog Inputs:	6 channels +/-10 V with switchable 100 kOhm path to ground
Analog outputs:	4 channels at +/- 10 V
Trigger:	External/internal
Transfer rate for copying large data files to flash drive or external hard disk:	80 Mb/sec (typical)
Dimensions WxLxH in mm:	160x113x95
MVE-100 Core Weight:	2.4 lbs or 1.089 kg