Pet owners always want the best for their animals and are willing to spend a lot of money buying brands that make pets more comfortable or give the owner an easier job while looking after them. There are many quality control procedures that can be used to assess the quality of pet accessories.
When buying a new dog lead, you may see that a lot of brands are now including a tensile strength rating on the packaging. Some dogs love to pull as hard as possible, and this can be bad news if a strong dog sees a squirrel running up a tree and goes for the chase.
The TA.HDplus
Texture Analyser by Stable Micro Systems can give an accurate value for
this strength rating. As well as the lead itself, the junction between
the collar and lead can be a weak spot, as can the sewn over ends of the
lead. All these weak spots can be identified by the use of a tensile
test on different sections. With a maximum force rating of 750kg and
easy to use software, the HD is ideal for this type of test.Similarly, many owners look for dog chew toys that will last more than a day or two (the author has a Jack Russell who can reduce a heavy duty toy to shreds within five minutes). Stable Micro Systems' range of Texture Analysers can be equipped with a sharp steel cone; a puncture test using the cone fixture will be useful for assessing hardness and toughness. A hard material will require a high force to break through the surface. Once the toy has been punctured by a sharp tooth, a good quality material should be prevented from fracturing by increased toughness. This can be measured by calculating the energy required to completely break through the material with the cone, which is represented by the area under the force-distance curve.
Dog owners are not the only group who will benefit from monitoring the mechanical properties of accessories. Before the 1940s, cat litter was usually made up of sand, wood shavings or old newspapers until an absorbent type of clay was invented that helped improve the smell and associated hygiene. Following this, clumping cat litter was developed in the 1980s, locking in bad odours and enabling soiled litter to be scooped out once a day, leaving the rest of the litter clean and ready to be topped out. Many consumers still prefer clumping litter as it enables the tray to be renewed much less frequently, proving to be more economical and less wasteful.
The Texture Analyser is very useful for testing cohesiveness of clumps formed by the addition of moisture. A good clump is one that can be removed from the tray intact (high cohesiveness) and a bad clump is one that disintegrates upon removal (low cohesiveness). To test this property, a compression test can be used to look at the force required to fracture the clump, and the type of fracture ascertained by looking at the force-time graph.
Many other pet accessories will benefit from this type of mechanical assessment and quality control, and brands will benefit from real scientific evidence that quantifies why their product should be chosen above all others. Tests are generally quick and easy, and methods and equipment can be customised to suit almost every need.
To discuss your specific test requirements click here...
For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.
The TA.XTplus texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is
available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of
food products. Our technical experts
can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual
specifications.No-one understands texture analysis like we do!
To discuss your specific test requirements, click here...
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