Tension Test

Mechanical Engineering MEU2600

Name: Nils Fuchs Student ID: 2012843375

Introduction
The objective of this experiment is to investigate the behavior of two material specimens under a Tensile Test and determine the materials nature. The materials to be investigated have the color gold (material 1) and silver (material 2). From performing the Tensile Test the following properties will be determined: - youngs modulus - yield stress - ultimate stress - proportional limit

Procedure
Mechanical testing plays an important role in evaluating fundamental properties of engineering materials as well as in developing new materials and in controlling the quality of materials for use in design and construction. If a material is to be used as part of an engineering structure that will be subjected to a load, it is important to know that the material is strong enough and rigid enough to withstand the loads that it will experience in service. As a result engineers have developed a number of experimental techniques for mechanical testing of engineered materials subjected to tension, compression, bending or torsion loading. The tension test is the most commonly performed one and is the simplest among of all the mechanical tests. It is conducted to determine fundamental mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus (E), the proportional limit (p), the yield strength (o), the ultimate strength (u), the fracture strength (f), and the stress-strain behavior in general. A specimen is subjected to a gradually increasing (i.e., "quasi-static") uniaxial load until failure occurs. This is accomplished by gripping opposite ends of the specimen and pulling it apart. The used specimens may have either a circular or a rectangular cross section, which is approximately uniform over a gage length (the length within which elongation measurements are made). The ends of tensile specimen should be suitable to fit properly the gripping device and they are usually enlarged to provide an extra area for gripping to avoid a fracture at the gripping location. A typical specimen (such as shown in Figure 1) is held rigidly between a fixed beam (the crosshead) and a moving beam called the actuator platform. A load cell (sensor) is used to measure the resulting force that builds up in the material as its length is increased by the moving actuator. The change in the gage length of the sample, as pulling proceeds, is measured from either the change in actuator position (stroke or overall change in length) or a sensor attached to the sample (called an extensometer).

Engineering Stress - Engineering Strain Curve

Material 1 (Gold)

500.00 450.00 Stress MPa (=F/A) 400.00 350.00 300.00 250.00 200.00 150.00 100.00 50.00 0.00

Strain mm/mm (=L/L)

Material 2 (Silver)

700.00 600.00 Stress MPa (=F/A) 500.00 400.00 300.00 200.00 100.00 0.00

Strain mm/mm (=L/L)

Background Theory
Hooke's Law For most tensile testing of materials the initial portion of the test, the relationship between the applied force and the elongation of the specimen exhibits is linear. In this linear region, the line obeys the relationship defined as Hooke's Law where the ratio of stress to strain is a constant or . E is the slope of the line in this region where stress () is proportional to strain () and is called Young's Modulus. Strain Strain can be expressed as an absolute measurement in the change in length or as a relative measurement called strain. Strain itself can be expressed in two different ways, as engineering strain and true strain. Engineering strain is the ratio of the change in length to the original length . Whereas, the true strain is similar but based on the instantaneous length of the specimen as the test progresses where Li is the instantaneous length and L0 the initial length. Stress Stress is the internal resistance, or counterforce, of a material to the distorting effects of an external force or load. These counter forces tend to return the atoms to their normal positions. The total resistance developed is equal to the external load. This resistance is known as stress. Although it is impossible to measure the intensity of this stress, the external load and the area to which it is applied can be measured. Stress () can be equated to the load per unit area or the force (F) applied per cross-sectional are (A) perpendicular to the force . Yield Strength A value called yield strength of a material is defined as the stress applied to the material at which plastic deformation starts to occur while the material is loaded. Modulus of Elasticity The modulus of elasticity is a measure of the stiffness of the material, but it only applies in the linear region of the curve. If a specimen is loaded within this linear region, the material will return to its exact same condition if the load is removed. At the point that the curve is no longer linear and deviates from the straight-line relationship, Hooke's Law no longer applies and some permanent deformation occurs in the specimen. This point is called the elastic, or proportional limit. From this point on in the tensile test the material reacts plastically to any further increase in load or stress. Ultimate Tensile Strength One of the properties you can determine about a material is its ultimate te sile strength (UTS). This is the maximum load the specimen sustains during the test. The UTS may or may not equate to the strength at break. This all depends on what type of material you are testing.

Ultimate Stress (MPa) Material 1 Material 2 438.87 641.39

Youngs Modulus (MPa) 97787.1787 204598.6252

Yield Stress (MPa) 218.69 613.55

Proportional Limit (MPa) 172.49 205.26

Ultimate Stress (MPa) Copper Steel 241-655 400-800

Youngs Modulus (GPa) 101-103 193-200

Yield Stress (MPa) 70-345 207-250

Proportional Limit (MPa) -

Material 1 = Copper Material 2 = Steel