Metal supports for the specimen which are 100mm apart.These allow the load to be applied on top of the specimen vertically and midway between the supports. The contact edges of the supports and of the loading tip by which load is applied shall be rounded to a radius of 3mm. The verical members which attached the specimen supports to the upper plate shall be made of a material having the same coefficient of linear expansion as that used for the rod through which the load is applied.