University of Ottawa

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

ENGINEERING MATERIALS I
MCG 2360
LABORATORY MANUAL

M. Yandouzi
Fall 2015

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

1. Introduction
Laboratory work is an essential part of a mechanical engineering education;
laboratory sessions provide an opportunity to observe the behaviour of materials in a
practical setting.
The course MCG 2360 includes 4 laboratory experiments of diverse materials.
Each student must prepare in advance for the laboratory period as explained in this
document.
Team laboratory reports must be submitted for each laboratory, at dates specified in
the course outline. Each team member must take the lead for assembling at least
one report; the person taking the lead must be identified clearly on the cover page.
Bring yourself to each lab. Attendance is a must by every student and absence will
negatively impact your lab grade unless it is excused absence for extenuating
circumstance. Moreover, you have to attend on time at the beginning of a lab. Do not
come late to labs.

2. Laboratory Safety

Each student must conduct himself/herself in a manner that ensures the safety of all
individuals in the laboratory. Because of the nature of laboratory work, some moving
parts are unguarded. Avoid loose clothing such as loose coats, long shirt sleeves,
ties and long, loose hair that mat be caught and drawn into the machinery. Students
must not handle any switches, valves or other parts of the undergraduate laboratory
equipment unless instructed by the demonstrator. Students must not handle any
research apparatus in the same area.
Any accident including chemical spills, however slight, must be reported
immediately to the demonstrator and/or the professor.
Any disregard to these or other safety rules, even minor, may lead to the
student AND ITS TEAM being excluded from the laboratory for the session.
This will automatically lead to zero marks for the laboratory. TAs, technicians
and demonstrators are fully authorised to apply this policy.
Specific instructions related to the Universal Testing Machines, furnaces, liquid
nitrogen containers
- The TA must imperatively verify your testing programs and hardware installation
before any test is conducted, and he must be present with you when the test is
conducted.
1|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

The transparent screen and position limiters must be in place before any test is
conducted.
Due care must be taken when installing samples between grips, as fingers can
get pinched. One person should hold the sample well away from the grips, and
another person should tighten the grips slowly. Always begin by tightening the
lower grip.
Before conducting a test, if you are not sure that all the parameters are set
correctly, get this verified by the TA. In doubt, do not conduct the test.
Furnaces can only be operated by the TA. Side surfaces of the furnaces get hot,
hence stand well clear. Samples put in the furnace must be handled using
appropriate tools, gloves and eyewear.
Eye protection must be worn whenever liquid nitrogen
Eye protection must be worn whenever cold and/or brittle samples are tested,
unless the tests are conducted using the Universal Testing Machines with the
transparent screen in place.
No food or drinks are allowed in the laboratory at any time.
The laboratory contains many pieces of equipment. DO NOT TOUCH ANY
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OR SAMPLE THAT IS UNRELATED TO YOUR
SESSION. WHENMOVING AROUND BE EXTRA CAREFUL OF CABLES OR
ANY OBJECT LYING ON THE FLOOR.
Bring your textbook to each lab to reference learning material in case there is a
need.

Smoking in strictly prohibited in Colonel By Hall. Since flammable materials are kept
in some of the laboratories, this rule is of even greater importance during the
undergraduate laboratory periods. In the case of a fire, the students first duty is to
leave the building through the nearest safe exit and move away from the building so
as not to interfere with the fire fighters. Students should know the location of the
nearest fire exits, fire alarms and fire extinguishers.
Furthermore, beware of apparently minor dangers such as the presence of cables
and other objects on the floor, which could make you fall. This type of accident is the
most frequent in laboratory settings and can lead to major injuries because of the
presence of tools and other hard objects.

3. Timekeeping and Submission of Reports

The professor or demonstrator may refuse access to any LATE student that may
have missed information which is deemed essential to a good understanding of the
laboratory experiment and work. STUDENTS MUST ATTEND ALL FOUR LABS
and stay until completion. ATTENDANCE IS MONITORED.
If you do not attend all four lab sessions and submit all four reports ON TIME,
you will receive a grade of INC or F for the course.

2|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

4. Report Requested Format

- Title page
Identify the course, laboratory session (number and full title), team members
(names, student numbers and signatures), team number, date, and the name of the
person assuming leadership for report preparation.
- Abstract
Brief explanation of experiment (goal, brief methods). Results. Comparison of results
with other findings. Main conclusions.
- Table of contents
- Introduction
Goal of the experiment. Previous results. Equations to be used. Other relevant
theory you have used (standards, microstructures, etc.).
- Methodology & Experimental Apparatus
Explain, in detail, what was actually done, which may be different from what is in the
lab description. Say what your team has done specifically. Describe any particularly
important details, such as how and under what conditions the data was collected.
Generally, the fewer words, the better. Do not give the step-by-step details.
- Results
In the form of graphs or tables. All graphs and tables should be explained but not
discussed. Simply state what the graphs and tables are and leave the deductions
and relation to theory to the Discussion section. Tables and graphs must be labeled,
numbered, and given a title. All tables (neatly presented) with caption above the
table and as follows: (Table 1. Results from tensile tests). All figures with captions
below the figure and as follows: (Figure 1: Results from tensile tests). Results should
be presented in one form only table or figure- the other could be in an appendix.
- Discussion
Comment on the magnitude of the results trends. Fully discuss the results in light of
the background information and theory discussed in the introduction. Explain results;
for this course, relate to microstructure. Compare with previous findings. Discuss
error sources and their effect on the results. No new theory should be introduced in
the Discussion section
- Conclusions and recommendations
Summarize what you found. Discuss what could have been done better during the
experiment, what may have gone wrong.
- References
List all references used. General information concerning the four experiments can be
found in many materials science texts, Marks Handbook, the American Society for
Metals Handbooks Volume 9 and10. Many materials are listed at www.matweb.com.
The ASTM Standards are also available in the library.

3|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

5. Other Aspects of report and Technical Writing

-

Reports, in general, are self-contained and require very little outside reading for
complete content understanding.
The report should be detailed to a degree that would allow the reader to rebuild
and repeat the experiment, if so desired.
Use visual aids (Use sketches to show microstructures, instruments used).
Use spell and grammar checkers or get someone to read your report before
submitting it, if needed.
Write in a technical way, complete but concise.
Make no extreme statements (i.e.: we have proven beyond the shadow of a
doubt). Adjectives should be used in a conservative fashion. Statements should
be quantitative not qualitative (i.e. the strength was 500MPa not the strength
was high).
Use proper references in the text. Reference figures and tables that you have
copied.
Glued or taped in graphs are not acceptable. Photocopy pages with any pasted
cut-outs. This page should be incorporated in the report.
If you are hand writing the report, use pen and write double-spaced. If the writing
is not neat, it will be returned unmarked and a late penalty will apply. If you are
using a word processor, use full indent with inch indentation for the first line.
Use double-spaced, 11 point font; Arial is preferred
Do not forget page numbers, headers and footers. They make reports look more
professional.
Use the correct number of significant figures based on the information given or
the resolution of readings. For this lab, it is unlikely that results are more
accurate than three (3) significant figures.
Be brief and concise; long reports are not good reports. Precise and complete
presentation of information demonstrates better writing skills and a better
comprehension of the material in technical reports.
Filler comments or redundancy do not add to the report and are marked down.
Tables should generally look like this:

Table 1: Properties of allow X obtained in experiment Y

The caption of a table must appear above the table. Do not forget units. You
must refer to all tables in your text.
Graphs should generally look like this:

4|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

Figure 1: Final mark for the course as a function of lost sleep. The caption of a figure must
appear below the figure. Label your axes with a title and unit. You must refer to all figures
in your text.

Usage of clean and good quality hand-drawn diagrams is as good as that of photos
and computer-generated diagrams. Any image or diagram is a figure, so caption
must be located underneath.

6. Lab Marking Scheme

5|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

LAB. 1: TENSILE TEST

Room : CBY B206

Lab. Goal:
This experiment deals with quasi-static tensile testing of metallic materials. The
materials tested in this experiment (annealed steel and aluminum) are highly ductile.
To study the relationship between stress and strain, ductile and brittle material specimens of
cylindrical geometry are loaded in uniaxial tension here. The applied load and elongation are
measured throughout the test up to fracture/failure. Observations of the elastic, yield, necking,
and fracture/failure behavior, as well as a comparison of ductile and brittle behavior are made.

The appropriate ASTM Standard is E-8 Tension testing of metallic materials. The
theory is dealt with in MCG 2360 course

Equipment & Materials:

Instron screw testing machine

one low carbon (1018) annealed steel tensile specimen
one annealed aluminum alloy (6061-O) tensile specimen
digital caliper

Test:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Measure the diameter and gauge length of the tensile specimens.

The lab demonstrator will conduct the tensile tests (without extensometer). The
two specimens, annealed steel and aluminum will be tested to failure.
Measure the final length and diameter of the specimens by holding them
together one person holding them, and another taking the measurements
Collect the test data from the lab demonstrator on a USB key (each group
shall bring a USB key to store test data). (a) Data from a tensile test without
extensometer for each of the 2 materials. (b) Pre-recorded data for a tensile test
with extensometer on aluminium

6|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

Assignment:

1. Prepare engineering stress-engineering strain curves for your tests using the
load versus elongation data from the data provided to you. Note that you will
need to zero the load and elongation data on your own!
2. Determine and sketch the following properties on the curve: E ; y ; UTS ; %RA;
%El; Resilience ; Toughness!
3. Explain the difference between your tensile test on aluminium and the prerecoded data from the tensile test with extensometer on aluminium!
4. Comparing your calculated values for Youngs Modulus1, yield strength,
ultimate tensile strength and ductility from reference data. You must properly
identify the reference(s) used.
5. Commenting on fracture surfaces
Report:
Lab report due 1 week after the lab!

7|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

LAB. 2: IMPACT TEST ON METALLIC MATRIALS

THE DUCTILE-TO- BRITTLE TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
Room: CBY B206

Lab. Goal:
To investigate the fracture behavior of different materials, the Charpy Impact Test is
used. The fracture toughness of a BCC steel material is compared to that of an FCC
alloy, and the difference in fracture appearance and impact toughness of ductile and
brittle materials is also investigated

Equipment & Materials:

Impact (charpy) testing machine

Three low carbon (1018) steel Charpy specimen (taken at different temperature)
The test results (Pre-recorded data) of three types of Materials (Steel 1018, Copper,
and Brass) are investigated and given in table below

Data:
a) 1 Charpy impact test on steel 1018 at room temperature (Approx. 23C)
b) 1 Charpy impact test on steel 1018 at low temperature (Approx. -70C)
c) 1 Charpy impact test on steel 1018 at high temperature (Approx. 100C)
d) Pre-recorded data of Charpy impact tests on the material:
Temperature (C)
Steel 1018
xx?
100
xx?
23 (RT)
0
120
-20
25
-35
18
-40
12
-50
12
xx?
-70
(1lbf = 4,44822 N , 1ft = 0.348 m)

Fracture energy (ft*lbf)

Copper
Brass (70%Cu+30%Zn)
75
18
70
20
80
20
80
20
78
18
80
19
80
20
90
20

8|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

Demonstration:
This experiment will demonstrate how the impact toughness, or impact energy, is
affected by temperature of the material. Specifically, the impact energytemperature
curve allows the determination of the Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT).

The lab demonstrator will conduct Charpy impact test on the 1018 steel at 3
temperatures. The plot of the fracture energy over the temperature for the three
materials can be obtained

Precautions:
-

Never stand or allow anyone to stand in the path of the pendulum when it is raised.
Never work on the impact machine with the pendulum raised.
Never try to latch the pendulum while it is swinging.
Be very careful when handling the cold and hot samples.
Do not rush to hold the samples after fracture by impact, as they might be very cold or
very hot.

Assignment:
1. Describe the demonstration (Charpy test) conducted by the lab demonstrator
2. Compare and comment on the fracture resistance and on characteristics of the
fracture surfaces from your tests on steel.
3. Plot the fracture energy (in Joule) over the temperature for the three materials.
4. Discuss and compare the materials with respect to ductile-to-brittle transition.
5. Indicate in what temperature range that shall be used in order to avoid sudden brittle
facture upon impact!

Report:
Lab report due 1 week after the lab!

9|Page

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

LAB. 3: PRECIPITATION HARDENING OF

ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
Room: CBY B206

Lab. Goal:
The objective is to investigate one of the strengthening mechanism of an Aluminum
Alloy; the precipitate hardening. Virtually all strengthening techniques rely on the
simple principle: Restricting or hindering dislocation motion renders a material harder
and stronger. Using three point bending test on 6061 Aluminum alloy after different
heat treatment will be conducted. The precipitates hardening mechanism will be
investigated.

Material:
The 6061 Aluminium alloy

Demonstration:
The lab demonstrator will explain & conduct three point bend test on 6061 Aluminum
alloy samples after different heat treatment.
The lab demonstrator will conduct Vickers Microhardness test, (just for demonstration)

Data:
Pre-recorded bend test data (each group needs a USB key to store electronic
files):
1) As received 6061-T6 (Solution heat treated then artificially aged)
2) Annealed at 525C for 1 hour (The purpose of this is to dissolve all the alloying
elements in a solid solution in the aluminum) and then water quenched (The purpose
of quenching isn't really to strengthen the alloy, although it does somewhat; it is to cool
it rapidly enough to prevent the alloying elements from precipitating on cooling.)
3) Annealed at 525C for 1 hour, water quenched, and then precipitation hardened at
232C for 35 min
4) Annealed at 525C for 1 hour, water quenched, and then precipitation hardened at
232C for 1 hour
5) Annealed at 525C for 1 hour, water quenched, and then precipitation hardened at
232C for 2 hours

Assignment:
1. Describe the three point bending experiment conducted by the lab demonstrator.
What are the objectives of the three point bending test?

10 | P a g e

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

2. Describe the demonstration conducted by the lab demonstrator. How the Vickers
Microhardness test work?
3. Plot the force-deflexion curves for the as received and for all heat treatment
states in the same diagram.
4. Qualitatively explain the difference in bend resistance between all states!

Report:
Lab report due 1 week after the lab!

11 | P a g e

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

LAB. 4: MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF STEEL

FOLLOWING HEAT TREATMENT/HARDENING
Room: CBY B206

Lab. Goal:
To examine the mechanical properties (hardness, in this case) of steel due to heat
treatment, 3 samples of AISI1018, AISI1045, unknown steel are given an austenitizing
heat treatment and cooled at various rates to room temperature (using the Jominy
End-Quench Test)

Materials:
a)
b)
c)

AISI 1018 steel

AISI 1045 steel
Steel to be identified?

Demonstration:

The lab demonstrator will explain & conduct the Jominy end-quench test. A steel
samples will be austenitized, then quenched at one end using a water jet. This will
cause rapid cooling of the sample at the quenched end while the other sections of the
sample will cool more slowly depending on its distance from the quenched end.
The lab demonstrator will conduct Rockwell Hardness test will be performed, also
just for demonstration.
Three point bend test on as received and quenched plate 1045 steel will be conducted
to demonstrate the difference in behaviour between a brittle and a ductile sample.
(Lab.3 or Lab.4)

Data:
Pre-recorded Rockwell hardness data for different distances from the quenched end
of Jominy samples for the 3 steels (printed data tables).

Table: Rockwell hardness (HRC) measured on 3 Jominy samples at different

distances from the quenched end

12 | P a g e

MCG 2360- LABORATORY MANUAL

Distance
(mm)

Steel C

AISI 1045

AISI 1018

1,59
3,18
4,76
6,35
7,94
9,53
11,11
12,70
14,29
15,88
17,46
19,05
20,64
22,23
23,81
25,40
28,58
31,75
34,93
38,10
41,28
44,45
47,63
50,80

58
58
58
57,5
57
56,5
56,5
56
56
56
55,5
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
54,5
54,5
54
54

57
55
47
32,5
29
29
27,5
27
26
26
25,5
24
23
23
22
21
21
20

34
32
22
20

Assignment:
1. Describe the demonstration conducted by the lab demonstrator. What are the
objectives of the Jominy end-quench test?
2. Describe the demonstration conducted by the lab demonstrator. How the
Rockwell hardness test work?
3. Plot the hardness as a function of the distance from the quenched end of the
Jominy sample for all 3 steels in the same graph
4. Identify the unknown steel
5. Explain the difference in hardenability between the 3 steels!

Report:
Lab report due 1 week after the lab!

13 | P a g e