Materials- Lab #2

“Introduction to the Measurement of Tensile

Properties”

February 12, 2019

Abstract
Results of an experiment held to test the behavior of various materials when loaded with tension
until fracture. This includes the experiment materials, how the experiment was performed, the
tensile properties of these materials, as well as suggestions for engineering applications.

Introduction
This lab demonstrates the basic uses of Instron Computer Controlled Universal Testing
Machine (ICCUTM), tension loading, and tensile properties. After this lab there will be an
understanding of how to observe tensile properties and what these properties mean in relation to
engineering material selection. Comparing various materials will allow for a deeper knowledge
of how these properties affect material performance and begin to form an effective process for
material selection depending on the properties needed.
During this lab a variety of different materials and equipment are needed including:
1. Instron Computer Controlled Universal Testing Machine, extensometer, and Computer
2. Accurate measuring devices
3. Round 2 inch samples with appropriate threading for ICCUTM and a .5 in diameter,
samples include Steel 1045 hw, Steel 1045 cw, Steel 1018 cw, polyethylene, nylon,
aluminum 7075, aluminum 6061, and aluminum 2024 .
The material will then be loaded into the ICCUTM and it will be loaded in tension until
the material fractures. The ICCUTM records the load being applied to the sample and the
extensometer will measure the reduction in diameter of the sample. With this information the
stress strain curve can be plotted to find all tensile properties.
Procedure
The first thing that needs to be done is preparation of the samples and recording of its
original size. The minimum diameter of each sample needed to be measured and a small
indentation should be made at a fixed distance from each other along the length of the sample. In
this case a punch was used to place two small indentations exactly 2 inches away from each
other at the base of the thread on two opposite sides of the sample. The indentations are so small
they should be circled with black marker in order to easily find them post test, and since they are
this small they will not affect the test. Note however that the nylon and polyethylene should only
be marked in marker since the indentation will have an effect on the test in these materials.
Once all of the sample are prepared they can be loaded one by one into the ICCUTM. Be
sure to select the proper test to be performed depending on whether the sample is metal or
plastic. After loading the material place the extensometer on the sample. Enter required data into
the software and begin testing. Once a certain load is reached the software will supply a warning
to remove the extensometer, do so at that time. Eventually the material will crack, and the test
can be stopped. At which time the data should be saved and the sample removed. This procedure
should be repeated for all samples.
Results
Once all tests are performed the data given from the ICCUTM test will result in the data
should on a load vs displacement plot for all the materials, shown in appendix 2 figure 1, 5, 9,
14, 18, 21, 25 and 29. This data is then used to find the stress vs strain graph using the formulas
found in reference 1:

Then the stress is plotted as a function of strain as seen in appendix 2 figure 2, 6, 10, 15, 19, 22,
26, and 30. This graph can be used to find the Young’s modulus, E, by calculating the slope of
the most linear section of the stress vs strain curve as seen in appendix 2 figure 3, 7, 11, 16, 20,
23, 27, and 31. The .02% offset yield stress can then be found by plotting a line with the slope of
E that intersects the x axis at .002, the stress value of the intersection of the two plots is the .02%
offset yield stress as seen in appendix 2 figure 4, 8, 12, 17, 21, 24, 28, and 32.
Also using the load vs displacement graph in conjunction with the stress strain graph data
all other tensile properties of the material can be found using the equations from reference 1.
Where:
P = load (lbf)
Ao = initial area,
Lf = final gage length,
Lo = initial gage length,
E =Young’s Modulus,
σo = yield strength,
σu = ultimate tensile strength,
σf = fracture stress,
di = initial diameter,
df = final diameter,
Sp = proportional limit,
eu = uniform strain
Sample matlab code used to calculate all of these values as well as these figures can be
found in appendix 1. While most of the code is similar for all the samples the initial size of the
sample, the number of data points collected and the range at which E was calculated did need to
be changed depending on the material. Results can be found in appendix 2, table 1.
Discussion
The best way to evaluate these results is to place all tensile data for all materials into one
table From this table it is easier to compare the difference in materials. By looking at yield
strength you can see when the material will begin to deform plastically. You can see the
materials elasticity by looking at the young’s modulus. The materials ability to withstand a load
can be found by looking at its ultimate tensile load. The stress and strain of when a material will
fracture will become useful when selecting a material that has to with hold a certain safety
factor.The uniform strain will be useful when needing to know how long a material will keep its
shape under a load. Ultimately anything that needs to be known before selecting the type of
material needed for a certain project can be determined by just looking at these values
determined by a tensile test.
For example, by looking at the table to select a material to construct a flag pole it would
make sense to select a material like polyethylene or nylon due to the high elasticity however
these materials plastically deform much quicker than the other materials. Any steel would also
not make a good flag pole due to the brittleness seen in its low resilience, and small reduction of
area. Aluminum however lies between these two materials with a mid rang elasticity and a mid
ranged resilience.
Conclusion
A materials tensile properties predicts how each material will behave when put into a
certain structure and applied a certain load. Being familiar with these properties will allow a
much quicker material selection process by narrowing down options greatly. Knowing where
these properties come from is also crucial in being able to use them efficiently.

References
1. Tin, Sammy. “MMAE372Lab2Notes.” 2 Feb. 2019, Chicago, IL.

Appendix 1
clc
clear all
%chages with material
T = xlsread('steel 1045 hw (1).xls');
lf=2.365;
df=(.390+.388)/2;
mi=939;
%does not change with material
do=T(4,2);
h=T(5,2);
temp=T(6,2);
lo=T(7,2);
rate1=T(8,2);
time=T(12:mi,1);
extension=T(12:mi,2);
extensometer=T(12:mi,3);
load=T(12:mi,4);
figure (1)
plot(extensometer, load)
title('Raw Data; Load vs Displacement');
xlabel('Displacement(in)');
ylabel('Load (lbf)');
stress=load./((pi/4)*do^2);
strainf=abs((lo-lf)/lo);
strain=(0:((abs(strainf))/(mi-12)):abs(strainf))';
figure (2)
plot(strain, stress)
title('Engineering stress vs Engineering Strain');
xlabel('Engineering Strain, S (ksi)');
ylabel('Engineering Stress, e');
%find good range for E
figure (3)
plot(strain(80:100),stress(80:100))
title('Engineering stress vs Engineering Strain, Slope Representing E');
xlabel('Engineering Strain, S (ksi)');
ylabel('Engineering Stress, e');
E=mean((stress(80:100)./strain(80:100)))
q=strain(1:300);
y=E.*(q-.002);
figure (4)
plot(strain(1:300),stress(1:300))
hold on
plot(strain(1:300),y)
title('Semi-closeup Stress vs Strain plot with 0.2% offset to find yield stress');
xlabel('Engineering Strain, S (ksi)');
ylabel('Engineering Stress, e');
S=E*strainf
UTS=max(load)/((pi/4)*do^2)
stressf=stress(mi-12)
Ustrain=log(((pi/4)*do^2)/((pi/4)*df^2))
%choose appropriate toughness (duct=stretch where brit=cracked)
%toughduct=(strainf*((stress(1)-UTS))/2)
toughbrit=(2*strainf*stressf)/3
resil=stress(1)/(2*E)
duct=strainf*100
roa=100*(((do^2)-(df^2))/(do^2))

Appendix 2
Steel 1045 HW:
Figure 1

Figure 2
Figure 3

Figure 4
Al2024:

Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Figure 8

Al6061:
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12

Al7075:

Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15

Figure 16

Nylon:
Figure 17
Figure 18

Figure 19
 Figure 20

Polyethylene:
Figure 21
Figure 22

Figure 23
Figure 24

S1018cw:
Figure 25
Figure 26

Figure 27
Figure 28

S1045cw:
Figure 29
Figure 30

Figure 31
Figure 32