3 Pt Bending

[Eric Sellke]

I am having difficulty bending a toothpick when the screws of block 1 are 3 cm appart. Can i widen the distance to say 5-6 cm?

[Kevan Chao]

I would like to widen it too. Would this be allowed?

[Sterling Nesbitt]

Yes, you can try making the two screws further apart. You can also try using a different material to bend (ie something more elastic). 

Also, a common mistake I am seeing is that the third bending point (the central one coming from the screw with the spring on it) is much too wide. This should be as close to a single point as possible, for an ideal three point bending machine. Try taping or gluing something rounded to the end of the tube and screw fixture, such that the radius is making contact with the material to be bent.

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Robert Sterling Nesbitt

PhD Candidate

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Department of Biomedical Engineering

nes...@rpi.edu

http://www.rpi.edu/~nesbir/