Document ID: APP-E238
Public Compliance Release

ASTM E238 Test Guide: Shear Testing for Metals

Architecture
NEWTON™ 32-BIT

Application Details

Standard:
ASTM E238
Material Type:
Metals
Specimen Type:
Test Type:
Shear
Industry:
Aerospace
Mechanicaltest.org | Applications

The Challenge Gap

Localized material yielding and pin deformation introduce extraneous structural displacement, masking true bearing yield strength.

The Solution

Deploy a dedicated dual-extensometer assembly clamped directly onto the specimen edge flanking the loading pin.

Insight

Measure both the pin outer diameter and hole inner diameter to the nearest 0.01mm to document exact clearance values.

Required Test Equipment for ASTM E238

Software

Driven by the Newton N-E238 software module to isolate pin-bearing strength, bearing yield strength, and localized bearing stress-strain curves of metallic materials.

Grips/Fixtures

Includes a hardened pin-bearing fixture with a selection of ground pin diameters designed to transmit pure shear loads perpendicular to the specimen edge.

Extensometer

Equipped with a matched pair of high-resolution axial LVDTs or optical video extensometers to track localized pin hole deformation relative to the sheet matrix.

Insight

Measure both the pin outer diameter and hole inner diameter to the nearest 0.01mm to document exact clearance values.

The Newton Advantage

Continuous digital data filtering using moving-average algorithms to separate pin seating artifacts from true structural elastic deformation.

Expert Engineering Commentary

Core Problem Identification

Elongation or ovalization of the hole structure before ultimate bulk tensile or shear edge breakout.

Root Cause Analysis

Pin bending or micro-clearance gap slippage within the load frame coupling causing non-linear initial loading artifacts.

Hardware Specific Solutions

Hardened tool steel clevis fixture with matched precision ground loading pins and automatic self-centering pull rods.

Mechanics & Specimen Behavior

Primary Mechanics

Compressive force applied by a hardened cylindrical pin through a matching close-tolerance hole in a sheet or plate specimen.

Specimen Details

Flat rectangular coupon containing a precision-machined or reamed pin-hole near one edge.

Mechanical Ratios & Properties

Edge-distance-to-diameter ratio (e/D) typically configured to fixed baselines of 1.5 or 2.0.

Additional Commentary

Proper clevis-to-pin clearance ensures pure bearing stress distribution without edge jamming.

Pro Tip

Use hardened pins exclusively; soft steel pins will bend elastically and introduce invalid displacement signals.

Common Pitfalls

Calculating displacement from total crosshead travel instead of direct-on-sample extensometers.

Analysis & Calculation Standards

Event & Failure Detection
0.2% or 2.0% offset bearing diameter deformation event tracking.
Required Calculations
Bearing Yield Strength, Ultimate Bearing Strength, Bearing Stress-Strain Curves, and Hole Elongation Metrics.
Statistical Outputs
Mean bearing limits, offset displacement variations, and standard deviations across a minimum 3-specimen set.
Let's Find the Right ASTM E238 Equipment for Your Application

The Newton™ 32-Bit
Difference

Typical testing system controllers rely on 24-bit resolution. Under high-accuracy flexural analysis, this creates a data phenomenon called **”stair-stepping”** or quantization error. When trying to track minor micro-deflection in rigid polymers, 24-bit electronic circuits suffer from resolution limits, dropping critical transition points during initial load curves.

Newton Characterization™ architecture utilizes a 32-bit analog-to-digital processor converter. This increases measurement fidelity by a factor of 256x, outputting 4.29 billion discrete signal thresholds. Electrical chatter is actively muted under a dedicated 100,000:1 Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).

Simulate Signal Mode

Real-Time Continuous Sampling Simulation

Comparing standard 24-bit quantization with Newton™ 32-bit resolution

Observe the stepped resolution blocks in the legacy 24-bit curve (Red) versus the absolute **analog-smooth response curve** captured by Newton™ 32-bit architectures (Green). This fidelity is what prevents mechanical data variance during modulus evaluation.

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