Shear / scratch test set
Model 550/551 Taber Industries

With the TABER® Shear / Scratch Tester, you can evaluate resistance to shearing, scratching, gouging, marring, scraping and engraving on a variety of flat, rigid specimens. It may also be used to test the relative homogeneity of materials, the adhesive qualities of protective coatings and the effects of age on similar materials.

A removable scale beam is mounted on a pivotal shaft projecting from an adjustable gage block. An adjusting screw permits the height of the pivotal shaft to be raised or lowered, corresponding with the thickness of a test specimen. A calibrated sliding weight is mounted on the scale beam. By changing the position of the sliding weight, the load applied by the scratch tip (shear tool) can be adjusted between 0 to 1000 grams.
Optional interchangeable scratch tools include a conical diamond tool; diamond scratch tool; and 1.0 mm hemisphere scratch tip. Using the S-20 tungsten carbide tool (contour shear tool), Taber's Shear / Scratch Tester can also be used to evaluate coating adhesion.