Mechanics of Materials Lab

Lab #1

Tension Test of Metals Lab

January 28, 2011

Team Aluminum

Michael Penaherrera

Stephanie O’Dea

Brian Nevole

James Minturn

Anna Norris
 Table of Contents
Introduction: page 3

Objectives: page 3

Experimental Procedures: pages 3-6

Results: pages 7-26

Discussion and Conclusions: page 27

Team Work Details: page 28

Bibliography: page 28
Introduction:

The materials used in structures vary as much as the occupants and loads do. These different materials
have strengths and weaknesses. Concrete is good in compression and metallic materials are good in
tension. To be safe, however, one must look at how the material itself reacts to loads upon them. Tests
are performed to find these reactions, and to make them as accurate as possible there are standards on
how to prepare, test and take measurements on specimen. The guidelines used in this experiment were
ASTM E 6-03 “Standard Terminology Relating to Methods of Mechanical Testing”, ASTM E 8-04
“Standard Test Methods for Tension Test of Metallic Material”, and ASTM E 111-04 “Standard Test
Method for Young’s Modulus, Tangent Modulus, and Chord Modulus.” These standards make sure the
measurements from the specimen of metallic material are accurate.

Objective:

The tests performed in this lab show how a metallic material (in this case aluminum, steel and
cast iron) react to axial tension loads. After the tests are done we can look at the stress-strain
diagram to find the elastic range, plastic flow, strain hardening, necking and fracture phases on
the diagram, as well as the modulus of elasticity, yield point, proportional limit and Ultimate
tensile strength. The percent reduction in area and percent elongation can be obtained by taking
measurements before the tests are done and after the specimen has fractured from the loading.
The material used in this lab section was aluminum.

Apparatus

Materials:

Steel 1040

Figure 3.1 Steel 1040 specimen from lab section 1.

Figure 3.2 Aluminum specimen from lab section 2.

Cast Iron Grade 20

Figure 3.3 Cast Iron specimen from lab section 3.

Extensometer – used in stress-strain testing, it is used to better determine the strain in a test. It
is counter balanced and the weight of it is negligible to the test as a whole.

Figure 3.4 Aluminum specimen loaded in machine with the extensometer.

Calipers – used in high-precision measurements in testing

Figure 3.5 Calipers used to measure specimen.

Procedure

The test specimen, either steel, aluminum, and cast iron, is placed in the Tinius Olsen Testing
Machine (Figure 3.10) with the extensometer attached to it (Figure 3.4). The testing machine provides
 the data to the computer. The specimen size is specified by ASTM E 8-04 section 6, to maintain a
uniform testing standard. The gage length, used in determining percent elongation, is designated as two
inches . In the same standard, it goes through the procedure that was followed in this lab. An axial
tension is applied to the specimen causing stress and strain in the metal. This data is recorded by the
computer and graphed. As more tension is provided, the cross sectional area of the specimen begins to
shrink. In ductile metals, the shrinking is very gradual. As tension is applied, the metal stays in the elastic
range for an extended period of time. This portion should display linearly on the graph. After the elastic
region, the ductile metal will reach its yield point and continue in the yield range where high amounts of
strain occur but only small increases of stress. Next the metal will increase in strength and harden in the
strain-hardening region. In this region, the metal will display deformation. The graph will peak at the
ultimate stress and begin to go into the necking stages (Figure 3.6). The specimen will shrink very
noticeably in this region. At last, the specimen will not be able to withstand more loading and it will
rupture (Figure 3.7). Steel is a ductile metal and should exhibit these stages. Aluminum is slightly less
ductile and will move to rupture quicker. The Cast Iron will not show much necking or shrinkage but will
appear to remain in the elastic region until rupture. The elongation of the metal is measured using a two
inch gage. This is used to measure the metals’ ductility. The failures of the metals will display their
ductility. A very ductile material will break with a triangle or pointed end. A less ductile material will
display a cup or cone. A brittle material will break evenly. After the specimen has reached its failure
point, the elongation and reduction in diameter can be measured using calipers. (Figure 3.8 and Figure
3.9)This measurement is based on the two inch gage. As the tensile load was applied the specimen
would have elongated and will no longer display the original two inch gage.

Figure 3.6 Necking in aluminum Figure 3.7 Rupture of Aluminum

Figure 3.9 Measurement of elongation with calipers

Figure 3.10 Tinius Olsen Testing Machine

The specimen in this lab should portray the typical stages of a metal member with an axial
tensile load. The Steel member is a ductile metal and has multiple stages of change and elongation. First,
the steel goes through the elastic range. In this range, if the member is unloaded it will return to its
original shape. This portion of the graph should be linear. The graph should begin to curve at some
specific point. This point is called the proportional limit. The line continues to curve until it dips down
slightly. This point is called the yield point. The region following the yield point is called the plastic
region. In the plastic region, the member cannot return to its original shape if unloaded. There will be a
permanent deformation of the member. As the tensile load continues, the member reaches its strain
hardening region and experiences its highest amount of strain while stress varies only slightly. The final
region is the necking region where change in diameter is visible. Finally, the steel reaches a point where
it can no longer take the load. At this point, the steel fractures.

The Aluminum is slightly less ductile and moves through the regions of stress-strain. It experiences the
elastic region, plastic, strain hardening, and necking but at a quicker pace and does not exhibit the
definite changes in the graph.

The Cast Iron is a brittle material can withstand extreme loads through its elastic region. However, it
does not go through plastic, strain hardening, or necking. It moves from elastic to rupture.

Each Specimen reduces in cross sectional area when a tensile load is applied to it. This shrinking occurs
in the necking region. The stress calculated at failure for each specimen uses the original cross sectional
area. This is called engineering stress. True stress takes into account the change in cross sectional caused
by the tensile load.
Team Work Details:

Stephanie O’Dea: Pictures, Introduction, Objective, discussions and conclusions

James Minturn: Percent Elongation Data, Rupture sketch, discussions and conclusions

Michael Penaherrera: Plotted Stress – Strain Curves, calculations, discussion and conclusions

Brian Nevole: calculations, discussion and conclusions

Anna Norris: Experimental Procedures, Team work Details , discussion and conclusions

Works Cited

Beer, Ferdinand P. Mechanics of Materials. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009.

Print.

Lindeburg, Michael R. Civil Engineering Reference Manual. Belmont, CA: Professional

Publications, 1994. Print.

Online Materials Information Resource - MatWeb. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.

<http://www.matweb.com/>.

Standard Test Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products. West

Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International, 2008. Print.