Q: I have a 1 kN load cell. How do I determine if a specimen would be too heavy for my tensile and compression tests?

A: To be cautious, always use mechanical limits to ensure that grips or platens aren’t compressed onto each other. The specimen weight is not often an issue, but if you're using our load cells, they incorporate several overload prevention features. When combined, the weight of the upper grip and the expected maximum load during testing should be less than one-and-a-half times the load cell capacity. In this case, 1.5 kN.