FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

UiTM Terengganu, Bukit Besi Campus.

Program : Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

Course : Mechanics and Materials Lab
Course Code : MEC 291
Lecturer :

Laboratory Report

Experiment Title

TENSILE TEST

No. Name Student ID No. Signature

1. Putera Ezzarif Bin Ahmat Yatim
2. Nur Syahira Binti Zawawi 2013426418

Date of Experiment : ________________ Received by:-

Date of Submission : ________________

Lecturer
Objective

i. To obtain a general understanding of how different materials and cross sections

behave under uniaxial tensile loading.
ii. To determine the stress-strain relationship and compare mechanical / material
properties of various materials and cross section.
iii. To obtain the mechanical properties : the modulus of elasticity , the yield stress , the
ultimate stress , the fracture stress and the ductility ratio.
Apparatus

1. Universal testing machine

2. Vernier calliper
3. Steel ruler
4. Two or three specimens (steel,aluminium and brass)

(Universal testing machine) (Vernier calliper)

Theory

Mechanical testing play an important role in evaluating fundamental properties of

engineering materials (i.e : modulus of elasticity, Poissons, ultimate strength, yield strength,
fracture strength, resilience, toughness, % reduction in area and elongation) as well as in
developing new materials and controlling the quality of materials for use in design and
construction. Most of these engineering values are found by graphing the stress and strain
values from testing. A number of experimental techniques are developed for mechanical
testing of engineering materials subjected to tension, compression,bending and torsion
loading.

Ductile materials will neck down through the plastic range before rupture (Figure 1a). Brittle
materials do not neck significantly (Figure 1b). Instead they fail sharply and abrutly at
maximum load because brittle materials do not exhibit much plasticity.

a) Failure of ductile material b) Failure of brittle material

Figrure 1 : Typical of failure of materials

When specimen is loaded so that the resultant force passes through the centroid of the
specimen cross section, the loading is called as axial and can be either tensile or compressive.
The test measures force and change of length of the specimen which are used to calculated
nominal stress and nominal strain. The term nominal (or engineering) is used to indicate that
the stress is based on the original test specimen cross section area and the strain is based on
the original gage length as shown as the force P per unit area A :

Stress, p =

Strain is measure of the deformation that has occured in a material. In the case where the
magnitude of deformation is the same over the entire length of a body, strain is defined as :

Strain, =

where : Lo = the initial length

Lf = final length

A typical stress-strain diagram from a tensile test for structural steel is shown in Figure 2.
The particular properties are designated on the Figure 2 and are described as below :

1. Youngs modulus (Modulus of elasticity), E

Young s modulus is the ratio of stress to strain for the initial straight line portion of the
stress-strain curve (slope of the straight line). Determined by :

E=

where : p = proportional limit stress

p = proportional limit strain

2. Proportional limit

Proportional limit is the value of engineering stress (the load is divided by the initial cross-
sectional area) at the point where the straight-line portion of the stress-strain curves ends.

3. Yield point

Yield point is a point on the stress-strain curve, after which there is a significant increase in
strain with little or no increase in stress. The corresponding stress is called the Yield
strength/stress of the material. For materials that do not posses well-defined yield point,
offset method is used to determine it.
4. Elastic limit

Elastic limit is the value of stress on the stress-strain curve after which the material deforms
plastically (maximum stress for which stress will be directly proportional to strain).

5. Ultimate strength

Ultimate strength is the highest value of apparent stress on the stress-strain curve. It is also
known as the tensile (or compressive) strength.

6. Fracture strength

Fracture strength is the value of stress at the point of final fracture on the stress-strain curve.

7. Percent elongation

Percent elongation is the measure of the deformation at the point of final fracture.
Determined by :

% elongtion = 100

8. Percent reduction of area

Percent reduction of area is the measure of the fracture ductility. Determined by :

% RA = 100

where : Af = the final cross-sectional area at the location of fracture

Ao = the initial cross-sectional area

9. Ductility

Ductility is the characteristic of a material where the material can undergo large plastic
deformations before fracture, especially in tension. Ductility of materials is measured by
ductility ratio ;

ductility , =

where : u = the ultimate strain

y = the yield strain

Figure A : A typical stress-strain diagram for a ductile material

Procedure

1. The dimensions of the each test specimen before and after test is measured and is
filled in the table 1. The gauge length is marked on the test specimen.
2. The machine is switched on.
3. The test specimen in the grips of the machine is mounted.
4. Load and the corresponding deformation is applied and recorded.
5. Steps (1) to (4) is repeated for various type of the test specimen.
Result

Table 1

Material : Steel/copper/aluminium Type : Rectangular/round

Initial (unit : mm) Final (unit : mm)

Material Lo Ao bo ho Lf Af df bf hf
(mm2) (mm2)
Steel
Copper
Aluminium
d=diameter ; b=width ; h=height(thickness) ; L=length ; A=area

Table 2

No Force (N) Elongation (mm) Stress (Pa) Strain

1. 6.019 0.723
2. 8.806 1.008
3. 12.016 1.308
4. 15.016 1.578
5. 18.030 2.213
6. 18.702 2.563
7. 18.377 3.923
8. 17.289 5.788
9. 19.523 8.023
10. 21.458 11.933
11. 22.458 16.028
12. 22.969 19.968
13. 23.288 23.988
14. 23.277 27.398
15. 23.283 27.968
16. 23.183 31.993
17. 22.481 35.963
18. 18.527 38.428
Table 3

Material Load at Load at Load at Ultimate Breaking

Elastic Limit Upper Yield Lower Yield Load (N) Load (N)
(N) Point (N) Point (N)
Steel
Copper
Aluminium

Table 4

Material Proportion Nominal Actual % Strai % Ductility

al Limit Fracture Fracture Reduction n Elongatia
Stress (Pa) Stress Stress in Area n
(Pa) (Pa)
Steel
Copper
Aluminium

Table 5

Material Properties Modulus of 0.2% offset Yield Stress Ultimate

Elasticity Yield Stress (Pa) Stress (Pa)
(Pa) (Pa)
Experimental
Steel Reference
% Difference
Experimental
Copper Reference
% Difference
Experimental
Aluminium Reference
% Difference