MTS Series 647 Hydraulic Wedge Grips - Manual (Page 35)

Stay alert
Avoid long periods of work without adequate rest. In addition, avoid long periods of repetitious, unvarying, or
monotonous work because these conditions can contribute to accidents and hazardous situations. If you are
too familiar with the work environment, it is easy to overlook potential hazards that exist in that environment.
Contain small leaks
Do not use your fingers or hands to stop small leaks in hydraulic or pneumatic hoses. Substantial pressures
can build up, especially if the hole is small. These high pressures can cause the oil or gas to penetrate your
skin, causing painful and dangerously infected wounds. Turn off the hydraulic supply and allow the hydraulic
pressure to dissipate before you remove and replace the hose or any pressurized component.
Stay clear of moving equipment/avoid crush points
Stay clear of mechanical linkages, connecting cables, and hoses that move because you can get pinched,
crushed, tangled, or dragged along with the equipment. High forces generated by the system can pinch, cut,
or crush anything in the path of the equipment and cause serious injury. Stay clear of any potential crush
points. Most test systems can produce sudden, high-force motion. Never assume that your reactions are fast
enough to allow you to escape injury when a system fails.
Know the causes of unexpected actuator motions
The high force and velocity capabilities of MTS actuators can be destructive and dangerous (especially if
actuator motion is unexpected). The most likely causes of unexpected actuator response are operator error
and equipment failure due to damage or abuse (such as broken, cut, or crushed cables and hoses; shorted
wires; overstressed feedback devices; and damaged components within the servocontrol loop). Eliminate
any condition that could cause unexpected actuator motion.
General Precautions for Environmental
Components
Observe the following precautions when operating the grips:
• Make sure controller detectors are set to minimize the chance of the grip contacting the furnace. Generally
this involves setting displacement limits to restrict actuator rod travel.
• When positioning the crosshead during specimen installation, be careful not to allow contact of machine
components with the environmental chamber or furnace. Machine components can include grips, attachment
kits, the crosshead, pullrods, and other related items.
• Be sure to read and understand the safety data sheets of the materials, chemicals, and fluids used regarding
any combustibility and toxicity characteristics.
• After operation at elevated temperature, be sure to allow components to cool before handling. Components
can include grips, specimen, environmental chamber or furnace surfaces.
Series 647 Hydraulic Wedge Grips Reference Manual 35
Safety