FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

LAB SHEET
MATERIALS ENGINEERING
EME2176

TRIMESTER 1 (2013/2014)

Experiment 1

Compression Properties of Ceramics, Polymers, & Composites

1112702923

Mohammed Islam

ABSTRACT
Compressive strength in every material allows it to withstand axially directed pushing forces.
Some of the materials whose compressive strength limit is reached are crushed while other
materials are deformed or some come back to its initial stage. Brittle materials will get fractured
when their compressive strength limit is exceeded while ductile materials are deformed
In this experiment the properties of rubber, polymers and composite materials were tested under
the compression test. Materials were placed in the machine, stress was applied and stress and
strain values were taken. Conclusion was drawn by the help of graphs and necessary
calculations.
To reduce the no. of errors in this experiment many precautionary steps were taken such as
readings were taken 3 times to get the average value, the apparatus was not analogue, it was
digital with the help of a computer software. Due to these factors the experiment is considerably
good and successful conclusions can be drawn without any difficulty.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this experiment was to find out the material properties for polymer, rubber and
composite in terms of stress and strain.
METHODOLOGY
1.

3 samples were given; Polymer, rubber and composite.

2.

The dimensions of each sample were measured with the help of vernier caliper.

3.

Each sample was placed on the compression table.

4.

The dimensions were entered in the computer software.

5.

The loading was applied to the material with the help of lever.

6.

The software is run to record the readings by the help of graphs.

7.

Repeat for other samples.

DATA ACQUISITION
Rubber:

Polymer:

Composite:

DATA ANALYSIS
As shown in the data acquired above, when stress is applied to the rubber material, it starts
getting displaced immediately meaning it is a ductile material and 9mm is its longest
displacement measurement. After its maximum limit is reached, it comes back to its original
shape when the stress is removed.
On the other hand polymer is a brittle material. When we apply stress, it doesnt get displaced
quickly, its displacement is very small.
Composite share similar features like polymer but is more brittle than polymer.

DISCUSSIONS

1 - The reason why we dont measure average height is because the ends of the specimen might
crush under the stress influence. This would indicate large amount of displacement, which means
error.
2 - Tensile stress:
= 14.69 n/mm2

Rubber

Polymer

Composite = 13 n/mm2

= 16.2 n/mm2

Modulus of Elasticity:

Rubber: Very High

Polymer: Low

Composite: Very low

Due to their difference in characteristics, we can use these materials to develop more
compounds/materials by materials engineering and research. Polymer can be used to make gels.
3- Fatigue test:
The definition of fatigue testing can be thought of as simply applying cyclic loading to
your test specimen to understand how it will perform under similar conditions in actual use.
The load application can either be a repeated application of a fixed load or simulation of in-

service loads. The load application may be repeated millions of times and up to several
hundred times per second.

Hardness Test
Simply stated, hardness is the resistance of a material to permanent indentation. It is
important to recognize that hardness is an empirical test and therefore hardness is not a material
property. This is because there are several different hardness tests that will each determine a
different hardness value for the same piece of material. Therefore, hardness is test method
dependent and every test result has to have a label identifying the test method used.

Hardness is, however, used extensively to characterize materials and to determine if they
are suitable for their intended use. All of the hardness tests described in this section involve the
use of a specifically shaped indenter, significantly harder than the test sample, that is pressed
into the surface of the sample using a specific force. Either the depth or size of the indent is
measured to determine a hardness value.

Impact Testing:
Impact testing is testing an object's ability to resist high-rate loading. An impact test is a
test for determining the energy absorbed in fracturing a test piece at high velocity. Most of us
think of it as one object striking another object at a relatively high speed.

REFERENCES:
1.

W.D. Callister, Jr., Materials science and Engineering an introduction, 6thedition

(2003).

2.

http://www.polymerexpert.biz/PolymersandComposites.html

3.

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/research/DebrisImpact/