Buckton Universal Testing Machine

The Buckton universal testing machine is a British material testing machine manufactured in Britain that was used in universities and heavy industries from the Meiji Era to the Taisho Era. Measurement is conducted by setting off the inclination of a lever produced by a load applied on the test piece by adjusting to horizontal position with the poise weights.

The machine was installed at the Chemical Analysis Section, Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works of the Mitsubishi Joint-stock Company (the predecessor of Takasago Research & Development Center, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) in 1908 featuring a measurement capacity of 30 long tons. The loading device is of the screw type. The machine is capable of executing tensile, compression and bending tests. It was used for testing important materials for ships and power engines and made significant contributions toward ensuring the reliability of the products.

The testing machine shown here, which is the oldest at present, is preserved permanently as a precious heritage, showing the origin point of material strength testing in Japan.