This thesis presents the design, development, and validation of a mechanical test system for determining the tensile strength and elongation of insulation materials used in electrical conductors, in accordance with the IEC 61010–031 standard. The developed test device is intended to evaluate the compliance of insulation materials with prescribed mechanical properties, both in their original condition and after accelerated thermal ageing. The control system is based on the open-source Arduino Uno platform, which performs PID regulation of the linear displacement speed. The setup also includes a digital force gauge for tensile force measurement and Hall sensors for displacement and speed detection. The mechanical structure is built from modular Bosch aluminum profiles, ensuring structural rigidity and configurability.
The measurement system was validated by comparison testing with a reference tensile testing machine (Zwick Z100) in a partner company. Two types of insulated conductors were tested (aged and unaged). The calculated medians of tensile strength and elongation deviated by less than 3% between the developed system and the reference device. This confirms the measurement accuracy of the developed system and indicates that systematic errors remain within acceptable limits. The tests also demonstrated good repeatability, with low standard deviations across repeated measurements.
Based on the results, it is concluded that the developed device complies with the standard’s requirements for tensile strength (≥ 7 N/mm²) and elongation (≥ 100%). Additionally, it offers a cost-effective and technically suitable solution for the mechanical testing of insulation materials in research and development environments.
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