Material Science Studio Lab

Tensile Test of Thin Engineering Sheet Materials

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this lab is to determine the relationship of engineering stress and engineering
strain, as well as the material property when subjected to axial tensile load with an emphasis on
being able to fully analyze the data.

INTRODUCTION AND THEORY

The tensile test is a common material testing procedure for determining material response to axial
pulling of a sample until total fracture occurs. Information gained from the test is the following:
Youngs Modulus, elastic limit, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, percent elongation and
area reduction.
The data measured in the experiment are load and length change of the sample. The load versus
the length change data can be used to generate the engineering stress-strain curve. If one
considers the elongation and its associated reduction in area then a true stress-strain curve can be
developed.
In the tensile test when a load is applied to a sample it deforms or elongates in a way that obeys
Hooks Law. This deformation is considered to be elastic and will be restored when the load is
removed provided the elastic limit has not been exceeded. If the elastic limit is exceeded then the
deformation includes both elastic and plastic parts. The plastic part cannot be recovered with the
removal of the load.

The ratio of the force (F) applied to the original cross-sectional area (A o ) of a material is
called the engineering stress:
F
units: Newton per square meter (N/m2) or Pascal (Pa)
Stress =
Ao

Stress (N/m2)

The ratio of the change in length (L) to the original length (L o ) of a material is called
the engineering strain:
L
No units (mm/mm)
Strain =
Lo

Plastic

Elastic

Yield

Strai

Figure 1: Stress-strain curve

The initial slope of this curve gives Youngs Modulus for the material. The point at which the
curve deviates from being linear is called the Elastic Limit. Stress values above the elastic limit
result in permanent deformation or plastic strain, which are not recoverable by the removal of the
stress. The yield strength of most engineering material is identified by construction a line on the
stress-strain graph parallel to the Youngs Modulus with a 0.2% offset on the strain axis. The
intersection of the constructed line with the stress-strain curve denotes the Yield Strength. The
yield strength on the graph is denoted by a change in the slope of the curve. Some materials
exhibit a pronounced change in slope at the yield point whereas it may be slight change in slope.
Ductile materials exhibit large strains prior to fracture. In contrast brittle materials have limited
strain prior to fracture. As the material resists deformation more dislocations are generated and
their interaction occurs with the result being work hardening of the material. In samples that have
polished surfaces the generation and motion of dislocation can be observed in the form of Luders
bands. If the stain hardening is rapid and uniform over the gage length this causes a constant
reduction in the area over the gage length and the sample elongates uniformly. However, if the
strain hardening is slow or non-uniform then an area of localized reduction in cross sectional area
occurs which is called necking. The highest stress the material obtained is called the Ultimate
Tensile Strength (UTS). The toughness of the material can be related to the area under the
stress-strain curve.

SET-UP for ScienceWorkshop System

1.

Plug the sensors into the interface. Connect the Force Sensor to Channel A of the interface.
Connect the yellow plug of the RMS to Channel 1 and the black plug to Channel 2.

Figure 2: Setup of interface

2.

Start Capstone by opening the activity file MENG3331 Tensile Test.cap.

1. Rotary Motion Sensor (RMS)

2. Force Sensor
3. Force Sensor Attachment
4. Setscrew
5. Stress-Strain Platform
11. Thumbscrew

6. 3- Step Pulley
7. Belt
8. Groove
9. Coupon Clamps
10. Lever Arm

Figure 2: Apparatus Setup

3.

Check RMS orientation. While monitoring data in Capstone, turn the crank clockwise.
Watch the "Displacement" digits display. If displacement decreases, swap the positions of
the yellow and black RMS plugs on the interface.

PROCEDURE
Apparatus Calibration
During the experiment, as the crank turns, force will be applied to the test coupon, causing it to
stretch. However, this force will also cause the apparatus platform and the Force Sensor to bend.
The displacement registered by the RMS will be the combination of the coupon stretching and the
rest of the apparatus bending.
Regardless of how much the coupon stretches, the deformation of the rest of the apparatus is
constant for a given force. One can measure this deformation directly by using the calibration bar
(which does not stretch significantly) in place of a coupon as force is applied. The goal is to
create a plot of Displacement versus Force for the calibration bar, in which the displacement is
due only to bending of the apparatus. Later, subtract this plot from a similar plot made with a
coupon, in which the displacement results from both bending of the apparatus and stretching of
the coupon. The result will be a plot in which the displacement is due only to stretching of the
coupon.

This workbook already contains a

rough calibration, so you can proceed
without further calibration.

Figure 3: Calibration bar setup

Use the following steps to acquire Displacement versus Force data:

1. Install the calibration bar by removing all the nuts, washers, and springs and then sliding the
bar over the posts. See Figure 3. Do not use the nuts to attach the calibration bar.
2. Preload the bar so the slack is taken up:
a. Turn the crank so the lever bar does not touch the force sensor. Then zero the force sensor.
b. Start recording and turn the crank until the force reads about 5 N. Then stop cranking and
stop recording and zero the force sensor again.
3. Start recording and turn the crank slowly to stretch the apparatus. The recording will
automatically stop when the force reaches 235 N.
4. To get a relationship between the force and the amount of stretch that is due to the apparatus
stretching:
a. Turn on a Power Fit for the Position vs. F calibration data.
b. Click on the Power Fit annotation box on the graph and look at the Curve Fit editor at left.
If it cannot find a fit, try selecting data on the graph so the endpoints of the plot are not
included. Lock x 0 equal to zero and lock B equal to zero.
c. The Power Fit has n=4 locked initially. Unlock it and change n to 0.5 and lock it again and

then click on Update Fit in the Curve Fit Editor.

d. Once it finds a fit, unlock n and click on Update Fit again. This gives the final equation
for position as a function of force.
e. Open the calculator (at left) and enter the values for A and n.

DATA COLLECTION
1. Installing coupons
Remove the calibration bar and re-install the springs, clamps, washers, and nuts as shown in
Figure 4.

Figure 4: a) Coupon attachment

b) Washer Configuration

When installing coupons, loosen the nuts but do not remove them. The coupon should be slid
completely under the clamp top on each end. Turn the crank to make room for the coupon so
the coupon does not buckle and is straight. Then tighten the nuts with the wrench as tight as
possible, making sure the coupon does not twist.
First the spring goes on. Then the curved-inward washer goes on with the flat side down. Then
the curved-outward washer goes on with the curved side down. Finally, the smaller flat washer
goes on last, followed by the nut.
2. Calculating Stress and Strain.
a. Stress is related to the force by Equation (1). Measure the
cross-sectional area of the coupon and enter it into the
calculator as the Area in units mm (this will make the
stress be in units of MPa). Make a calculation for "Metal
Stress" and "Plastic Stress" because they have different
cross-sectional areas.
b. Strain is the related to the measured position by Equation
(2). Measure the initial length of the coupon and enter it
into the calculator as L 0 in meters. Measure the length of
only the part of the coupon that is narrow, for which we
can say the cross-sectional area is the same as in the stress
calculation. Make a calculation for "Metal Strain" and
"Plastic Strain" because each has a different length.

Figure 5: Interface of calculator

3. Pre-loading Coupons
This is the procedure you will follow each time you test a coupon. You must pre-load the coupon
so the initial slack is taken up and the force sensor is zeroed at position zero.

a) Turn the crank so the lever bar does not touch the force sensor. Then zero the force
sensor.

b) Start recording and turn the crank and watch the digits display of the force. When the force
reaches about 5N, stop recording and press the zero button on the force sensor. Do not let
go of the crank and do not move the crank.

c) Now the apparatus is ready to record the curve for the coupon. You should immediately
start recording again and proceed to stretch the coupon over the entire range.

4. Collecting Data.
Press the Tare button on the Force Sensor. Click the Record button. Turn the crank clockwise.
Starting just before the lever arm comes into contact with the Force sensor, turn the crank very
slowly. When finished collecting data, click Stop. (If the maximum force is reached, Capstone
will stop automatically.) If the coupon breaks, it should break in the middle. If the coupon
breaks near the end, it was probably twisted slightly when it was mounted, resulting in a point
of higher stress where it broke.

DATA ANALYSIS
On the Stress-Strain graph, identify and record the elastic region, the plastic region, the yield
point, and the break point (if available). To calculate Young's modulus, select a data region
covering the linear, lower left-hand part of the graph. (The very first part of the plot may not be
linear. This nonlinearity likely is due to the straightening of bends and twists in the coupon as
force is first applied. Do not include this region in the selection.) Apply a linear curve fit to the
selected data. The slope of the line is Young's modulus in units of MPa (106N/m2) or Pa (N/mm2).
Record Youngs Modulus.

DETAIL REQUIREMENT
1. Define engineering stress and strain in your own words and include a sketch. Discuss what is
physically happening to a coupon when it is experiencing stress and strain.
2. Sketch graphs of stress-strain from your data. Identify different regions. Discuss the
relationship between stress and strain in these regions.
3. Do the graphs agree with Hookes Law? Explain.
4. Determine Young's modulus, elastic limit, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and
percent elongation in each curve, and list all the values in a table.
5. Compare the stress-strain curves of the materials you tested, discuss in detail, find trend and
make your points.
6. Does the coupon that can withstand the greatest force also experience the greatest stress?
Explain.

LIST OF SAMPLES
No. of
Sample
1
2
3
4
5

Material
Steel
Brass
Brass
Aluminum
Polycarbonate

Quantity of
the Sample
3
3
3
3
3

Detail Dimension of the Sample

Material Properties
Item
Cross-sectional
area
Tensile
strength
Tensile
elongation
Modulus of
elasticity

cold-rolled
steel
0.303 mm2

annealed steel

aluminum

brass (thin)

brass (thick)

0.303 mm2

0.303 mm2

0.303 mm2

0.506 mm2

620 MPa/
90,000 psi

300 MPa/
44,000 psi

145 MPa/
21,000 psi

430 MPa/
44,000 psi

430 MPa/
44,000 psi

none

42-45%

6%

25%

25%

200,000 MPa/
29,000,000 psi

200,000 MPa/
29,000,000 psi

69,000 MPa/
10,000,000 psi

117,000 MPa/
17,000,000 psi

117,000 MPa/
17,000,000 psi

Item

HIPS

Color code
Cross-sectional
area
Tensile strength
Tensile elongation
Modulus of
elasticity

ABS

polypropylene

orange
2.482 mm2

nylon 6(+ 15%

glass)
black
2.482 mm2

blue
2.482 mm2

white
2.482 mm2

23 MPa/
3410 psi
40%
2000 MPa/
280000 psi

98 MPa/
14000 psi
2.5%
2900 MPa/
420000 psi

47 MPa/
6800 psi
20%
2300 MPa/
380000 psi

34 MPa/
4900 psi
9%
1900 MPa/
239000 psi