ABSTRACT

Many products and components are subjected to torsional forces during their operation.
Products such as biomedical catheter tubing, switches, fasteners, and automotive steering
columns are just a few devices subject to such torsional stresses. By testing these products in
torsion, manufacturers are able to simulate real life service conditions, check product quality,
verify designs, and ensure proper manufacturing techniques.

This experiment examined the principle of torsion test through measurement of the
applied torque and the angle of twist of a dumbbell specimen ability. The test was to determine
the torsion properties subjected to pure torque and identify types of fracture surface under pure
torque. The torsion test experiment is performed on a mild steel rod using a manual torsion test
machine. The rod is fixed at one end to the machine where the torque is measured, while the
other end is connected to a chuck that is rotated by a hand-operated crank. A large analogue
dial gauge, and the torque sensor digital signal that is read by software, indicates the torque
(in-lb) applied to the rod as the rod is twisted by the hand crank. The rotational encoder is
attached to the rod by screws and its digital output to software gives the relative angle of twist
developed in the rod as the torque is applied.

The torque-twist data is used to compute the shear strain and the shear stress on the rod.
From the shear stress-shear strain relational curve, the shear modulus of elasticity (rigidity) can
be calculated, as well as the proportionality limit and the yield limit for each applied torque.
From the experiment the date are taken and calculations and graphs are constructed. Using the
formulas we can say that the torque is increasing faster than the other variables which would
cause it to slowly get smaller.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

LIST OF TABLE ..................................................................................................................... 3

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. 3

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 5

THEORY .................................................................................................................................. 6

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE......................................................................................... 9

RESULT.................................................................................................................................. 10

DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................... 12

CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 16

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………………...20

APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 21

PRESENTATION OF TABLE…………………………………………………………………………25

TEAM WORK ....................................................................................................................... 26

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LIST OF TABLE

Material Diameter Length

( mm ) ( mm)

Mild Steel 6 85.6

LIST OF FIGURES

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

3
 Torsion Test Machine

Mild Steel Specimen (initial state)

Torque Meter

Vernier Caliper

4
 Mild Steel Specimen (final state)

( Final State)

INTRODUCTION

In many areas of engineering applications, materials are sometimes subjected to torsion

in services, for example, drive shafts, axles and twisted drills. Moreover, structural applications
such as bridges, springs, car bodies, airplane fuselages and boat hulls are randomly subjected
to torsion. The materials used in this case should require not only adequate strength but also be
able to withstand torque in operation.

A torsion test can be conducted on most materials to determine the torsional properties
of the material. These properties are modulus of elasticity in shear, yield shear strength,
ultimate shear strength, and modulus of rupture in shear and ductility.

Torsion tests can be performed by applying only a rotational motion or by applying

both axial (tension or compression) and torsional forces. Types of torsion testing vary from
product to product but can usually be classified as failure, proof, or product operation testing.

5
THEORY

Torsion is basically the stress due to torque. Many structures experience torque (eg.
Torque wrench, car shaft, etc.) and therefore it is important to quantify the stress caused by
torque to help us design safe structures. In solid mechanics, torsion is the twisting of an object
due to an applied torque, therefore is expressed in Nm or ft·lbf. In sections perpendicular to the
torque axis, the resultant shear stress in this section is perpendicular to the radius.

Torsion test.

Assumptions theory of pure torsion

The theory of Torsion is based on the following assumptions:

1. The material in the shaft is uniform throughout

2. The twist along the shaft is uniform
3. The shaft is of uniform circular cross section throughout
4. Cross-section of the shaft, which are plane before twist remain plane after twist.

For solid shafts of uniform circular cross-section or hollow circular shafts with constant wall
thickness, the torsion is:

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Where:

 is the maximum shear stress at the outer surface.

 JT is the torsion constant for the section. It is identical to the second moment of area
Jzz for concentric tube only. For other shapes J must be determined by other means.
For solid shafts the membrane analogy is useful, and for thin walled tubes of arbitrary
shape the shear flow approximation is fairly good, if the section is not re-entrant. For
thick walled tubes of arbitrary shape there is no simple solution, and finite element
analysis (FEA) may be the best method.
 r is the distance between the rotational axis and the furthest point in the section (at the
outer surface).
 ℓ is the length of the object the torque is being applied to or over.
 θ is the angle of twist in radians.
 G is the shear modulus or more commonly the modulus of rigidity and is usually given
in gigapascals (GPa), lbf/in2 (psi), or lbf/ft2.
 The product JT G is called the torsional rigidity wT.

R.S. Khurmi & J.K. Gupta (2005) stated as in our case one end of a shaft is fixed and other is
subjected to external torque. As said earlier that stresses produce by the torque will be zero at
central axis and maximum at the outer surface. The maximum value of this torsional stress can
find out by the following formula

τ/r= T/J

In above equation τ is the torsional stresses produce in the shaft, r is the radius of the shaft, T
is the torque applied at the end of the shaft and J is the second polar moment of inertia of the
shaft. Second polar moment of inertia of the shaft can be finding out by following formula
where D is diameter of the shaft.

J= (π ×D^4)/32

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This first equation can be rewritten in the form of angular displacement, modulus of rigidity
and length of shaft and follow.

τ /r= Gθ/l

In above equation G is the modulus of rigidity, l is the length if the shaft and θ is the angular
displacement as a result of applied torque. First and third equation can be combined to an
equation through which we can find the modulus of rigidity of any material under observation.

G= T/θ×l/J

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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

1. Set up all the apparatus of the experiment.

2. Measured and recorded the dumbbell specimen dimension.
3. Marked a straight line along the specimen with the help of permanent marker or liquid
paper.
4. Turned on the switch of the torque meter.
5. Located and fixed one end of specimen on input and other end on torque shaft and apply
small preload.
6. Set up the alignment of the meter reader.
7. Set torque meter to zero.
8. To reset the torque meter, press and hold the ‘downward’ button and press ‘P’ button.
9. Start the round 1 process and twist the specimen with angle 90° degree. After that,
turned the knob until the meter showed zero to make the twist process happened, then
record the torque meter reading.
10. Repeat the step no. 9 by continue twisting the specimen by adding 90° angle until 360°
degree for round 1.
11. After finished the round 1, continue the round 2 by twisting the specimen 180° degree.
After that, turned the knob until the meter showed zero to make the twist process
happened, then record the torque meter reading.
12. Repeat the step no. 11 by continue twisting the specimen by adding 180° angle until
720° degree for round 2.
13. For round 3, twist the specimen with angle 360° degree. After that, turned the knob
until the meter showed zero to make the twist process happened, then record the torque
meter reading.
14. For round 4, twist the specimen with angle 360° degree until failure of specimen, then
record the torque meter reading.

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RESULT

Twist Angle
Load Torque
Degree ( ͦ ) Radian ( rad) ( Nm )

90 1.571 0.35
90 1.571 1.00
90 1.571 2.30
90 1.571 4.00
180 3.142 8.55
180 3.142 13.25
180 3.142 16.80
180 3.142 18.75
360 6.283 20.45
360 6.283 20.80
360 6.283 21.05
360 6.283 21.05
360 6.283 21.00
360 6.283 21.15
360 6.283 21.15
360 6.283 20.95
360 6.283 20.90
360 6.283 20.90
360 6.283 20.75
360 6.283 20.70
360 6.283 20.65
360 6.283 20.60
360 6.283 20.55
360 6.283 19.95
360 6.283 Fracture

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Graph 1

Graph 2

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DISCUSSION

12
CONCLUSION

16
REFERENCES

 Torsion Formula. Retrieved from

http://www.engineeringcorecourses.com/solidmechanics1/C3-torsion/C3.1-torsion-
formula/theory/
 Sounak Bhattacharjee. Torsion. Retrieved from
http://sounak4u.weebly.com/torsion.html
 Course Hero. Torsion Test. Retrieved from
https://www.coursehero.com/file/9661082/Torsion-Test/
 Haseeb Jamal. (2017, Aug 23). Torsion Test on Mild Steel and Cast Iron. Retrieved
from
https://www.aboutcivil.org/torsion-test-steel-cast-iron.html
 (2013, Jan 12). Engineering Practical – Torsion Test. Retrieved from
http://engipractical.blogspot.my/2013/01/test-experiment-torsion-test-on-steel.html

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APPENDICES

Shear Stress
Ratio of the force which is acting parallel to the surface of the body to the area over
which it acts. A shear force lies in the plane of an area and is developed when external
loads tend to cause the two segments of a body to slide over one another.

Shear Strain
Also caused due to the forces which act parallel to the surface of a body. It is the ratio of
the change in dimensions to the original dimension caused due to parallel forces. In a
simpler word, it is change in angle between two line segments originally perpendicular

Shear Modulus of Elasticity

Tangent or secant modulus of elasticity of a material subjected to shear loading. Alternate
terms are modulus of rigidity and modulus of elasticity in shear. Also, shear modulus of
elasticity usually is equal to Torsional Modulus of Elasticity.

Torsional Modulus of Elasticity

Modulus of Elasticity of material subjected to twist loading. It is approximately equal to
shear modulus and also is called modulus of rigidity.

Torsional Strength
Measure of the ability of a material to withstand a twisting load. It is the Ultimate strength
of a material subjected to torsional loading, and is the maximum torsional stress that a
material sustains before rupture. Alternate terms are modulus of rupture and shear strength.

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 Polar Moment of Inertia
Measure of an object's ability to resist torsion as a function of its shape. It is one aspect
of the area moment of inertia, or second moment of area, linked through
the perpendicular axis theorem.

Types of Torsion Test:

 Torsion Only: Applying only torsional loads to the test specimen.

 Axial-Torsion: Applying both axial (tension or compression) and torsional forces to the test
specimen.
 Failure Testing: Twisting the product, component, or specimen until failure. Failure can be
classified as either a physical break or a kink/defect in the specimen.
 Proof Testing: Applying a torsional load and holding this torque load for a fixed amount of
time.
 Operational Testing: Testing complete assemblies or products such as bottle caps, switches,
dial pens, or steering columns to verify that the product performs as expected under torsion
loads.

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Calculating Polar Moment of Inertia (J)

𝜋𝐷 4
J= 32

D = 6 mm = 0.006 m
𝜋(0.0064 )
J= 32

= 0.1272 𝑋 10−9 𝑚4

Calculating Torque Angle (𝜃)

𝑇𝐿
𝜃 = 𝐽𝐺

L = 85.6 mm = 0.0856 m
T = Load Torque (Nm)
J = Polar Moment of Inertia (𝑚4 )
G = Modulus of Rigidity (GPa)

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PRESENTATION OF TABLE

Angle of twist
Shear Stress,𝜏 Shear Strain,𝛾
Degree ( ͦ ) Radian (rad) (MPa)

90 1.571 8.26 0.00011

90 1.571 23.59 0.00030
90 1.571 54.25 0.00070
90 1.571 94.34 0.00121
180 3.142 201.65 0.00259
180 3.142 312.50 0.00400
180 3.142 396.23 0.00508
180 3.142 442.22 0.00567
360 6.283 482.31 0.00618
360 6.283 490.57 0.00629
360 6.283 496.46 0.00636
360 6.283 496.46 0.00636
360 6.283 495.28 0.00635
360 6.283 498.82 0.00640
360 6.283 498.82 0.00640
360 6.283 494.10 0.00633
360 6.283 492.92 0.00632
360 6.283 492.92 0.00632
360 6.283 489.39 0.00627
360 6.283 488.21 0.00626
360 6.283 487.03 0.00624
360 6.283 485.85 0.00623
360 6.283 484.67 0.00621
360 6.283 470.52 0.00603
Average = 390.72 Average = 0.00501

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TEAM WORK

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