Materials and Structures Laboratory

EXPERIMENT NO: 8 DATE:

TORSION TEST ON MILD STEEL AND CAST IRON

AIM: To study behaviour of mild steel and cast iron under the effect of twisting
moment.

APPARATUS: Thurston Torsion Testing Machine, Mild Steel and Cast Iron
specimen, Vernier Callipers, etc.

THEORY:
Torsion:-

 When a prismatic bar or a cylindrical shaft is subjected to equal & opposite

couples at the ends acting on two parallel planes at right angles to the
longitudinal axis of the bar, the c/s twist relative to each other & the bar is
said to be subjected to a torsion.
 In this test, a prepared specimen is subjected to a gradually increasing
twisting moment until failure occurs. This test is an indirect method of
determining shear strength of a material. Direct shear test gives an indication
of shearing resistance of rivets, crankpins, etc., but is an approximation to
the correct value of shearing strength.
Assumptions for shear stress distribution in a circular shaft subjected to
torsion:
 The material of the shaft is uniform throughout.
 The twist along the shaft is uniform.
 Normal cross-section of shaft which was plane and circular before the twist
remains plane and circular even after twist.
 Plane sections before twisting remain plane after twisting & do not
warp. The radii of c/s remain straight after twisting.
 Twisting couples are applied in planes which are perpendicular to the axis of
the shafts.
 Torsional stresses are well below the proportional limit of material.

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 Materials and Structures Laboratory

In order to find shear strength of a material through this test, theory of torsion is
used
T Gθ τ
= =
J L r
Where;
T = twisting moment
J = polar moment of inertia
τ = shear stress developed
r = distance from centroidal axis
G = shear modulus
θ = angle of twist
L = length of the rod

𝜏 =

𝑇 𝑥𝑑 2
𝜏 𝜋 =
𝑥𝑑
32
32 𝑥 𝑇 𝑥 𝑑
𝜏 =
2𝑥 𝜋 𝑥 𝑑
16 𝑥 𝑇
𝜏 =
𝜋𝑥𝑑
Where, d = Diameter of the specimen.

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 Materials and Structures Laboratory

τmax
A’
θ A θ
θ
τmax
T

Figure 1: Shear stress distribution in circular shaft

Tmax
ymax For mild
steel
ymax
For cast iron

Figure 2: Graph of Tmax v/s θ for mild steel and cast iron

Variation of shear stress is linear across the cross section (Figure 1) and maximum
shear stress induced in the specimen can be calculated as
𝟏𝟔𝑻
𝝉𝒔 =
𝝅𝑫𝟑
Where,
D is the diameter of the specimen.

SPECIMEN: In this theory, it is assumed that plane section remains plane after
twisting. Since only circular cross section confirms to this condition, a cylindrical
rod is used here to determine the shear strength. There are no particular
specifications for this test. However, it is recommended that for solid specimen,
length to diameter ratio be between 1 to 2.

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 Materials and Structures Laboratory

16mm

35mm 22mm 35mm

Figure 3: Test specimen

PROCEDURE:
 Measure diameter of cast iron and mild steel specimen. Insert one of the
specimens in the machine for testing.
 Insert a graph paper on the machine at the appropriate place before applying
twisting moment.
 Apply torque gradually with the help of the handle that is geared to a worm and
worm wheel assembly till the specimen fails. While the specimen is being
twisted, a plot of T (twisting moment) versus θ (angle of twist) gets plotted as
shown in Fig. 2.
 After completion of the test, determine the value of maximum twisting moment
by measuring the ordinate from the plot of T versus θ. Then calculate ultimate
and permissible shear strength for the material.

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OBSERVATIONS:
For cast iron specimen For mild steel specimen
Diameter of specimen
Factor of Safety
ymax

CALCULATIONS:
 To get the value of maximum twisting moment, measure the ordinate from
the plot of T versus θ.
 If the ordinate is measured in terms of inches, then 1 inch= 1200 lb-in twisting moment
= 1200 x 0.454 kg-in
=1200 x 0.454 x 2.54 kg-cm
=ordinate in inches x 1200 x
0.454 x 2.54 kg-cm
 If the ordinate is measured in terms of cm, then 1 cm = 1200 lb-cm
= 1200 x 0.454 kg-cm
= 1200 x 0.454 kg-cm

 Tmax = ordinate in cm x 1200 x 0.454 kg-cm.

Calculation of Tmax for M.S. =

Calculation of Tmax for C.I. =

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 Materials and Structures Laboratory

Calculate value of maximum shearing stress and applying a factor of safety of 3,

evaluate permissible shearing strength for both the materials.

For M.S.:
16T
τ =
πD

For C.I.
16T
τ =
πD

Figure 4: Failure pattern

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 Materials and Structures Laboratory

Figure 5: Failure Pattern

FAILURE PATTERN:
o Mild steel being a ductile material, the specimen will fail due to pure shear
and failure is plane and normal to the axis of the specimen as shown in
Figures 4 and 5.
o Cast iron fails along a helicoidal surface. Failure occurs by separation in
tension along a helicoidal surface as the tensile strength is less than the shear
strength.
o It is to be noted that twisting moment carrying capacity and angle of twist
are higher for mild steel as compared to that of cast iron because of its
ductility.

RESULT:
1. Permissible shear stress for mild steel under torsion (τpermissible) =
2. Permissible shear stress for cast iron under torsion (τpermissible) =
CONCLUSION:
o Compare the permissible shear stress values of mild steel and cast iron.
o Observe the failure pattern and identify the nature of failure of both the
specimens.

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