The first step to creating a graph of Engineering and True Stress/Strain diagrams is to open an
Excel spreadsheet and enter your data. Next you need to use the spread sheet to calculate your
Engineering and True Strain and Stress values. Note that the Strain values column is placed to
the left of the Stress values column in the example below. This is necessary to assure that the
Strain values are plotted on the x-axis of your graph. IMPORTANT: The data output from the
United machine is Load vs Strain (%). You must convert the Strain (%) to Strain (in/in) in
order to use the equations to calculate True Stress and Strain.
You are
now
ready to
create
you
graph.
You
will
create
an
Engineering Stress/Strain graph first then you will add the True Stress/Strain curve. To do this,
choose the Engineering Strain and Stress Columns by highlighting them as shown.
The final step is to “Merge” the two graphs. To do this, choosing the “Copy” command from the
“Edit” menu while your True Stress/Strain graph appears on the desktop. Then open your
Engineering Stress/Strain graph on the desktop and choose the “Paste Special” command from
the Edit menu. Choose “All” when the Past Special window opens. You should now see a plot of
the merged Engineering and True Stress/Strain diagrams as shown below.