Workshop Addresses Factors Leading to the Uncertainty of Force Calibration Data

The workshop, “Uncertainty of Force Calibration Results for Universal and Hardness Testing,” is being offered May 24, 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m., at the Sheraton, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in conjunction with the standards development activities of Committee E28 on Mechanical Testing during ASTM Committee Week, May 22-24. Presentations will address the principle parameters of the uncertainty determination and the calculation of an uncertain budget as they relate to the calibration data provided for universal testing machines.

While the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty on Measurement (GUM) has outlined a unified convention for expressing measurement uncertainties, specific areas relevant to universal and hardness testing machines (i.e., accuracy error as a bias not being corrected, small numbers of samples, two repetitions of the same force preventing proper use of statistical methods) contribute to widespread confusion within industry users, calibration providers, and the assessors of the accreditation community.

This workshop will provide a forum for the identification and discussion of the factors that influence this uncertainty of force calibration data.

For registration or further technical information, contact workshop co-chairmen Anatoly Perlov, Instron Corp., 100 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021 (781/575-5479; fax: 781/575-5767), or Robert Tait, III, Tinius Olsen, 1065 Easton Road, P.O. Box 429, Willow Grove, PA 19090-0429 (215/675-7100, fax: 215/441-0899). For meeting or membership details, contact manager Dan Schultz, ASTM (610/832-8716). //