MSE 250: Structure and Properties of Materials

8. Mechanical Properties II

Instructor: Prof. Yang Jiao (yang.jiao.2@asu.edu)

Office: Engineering Research Center Rm 387
Phone: 480-965-4560

Expected Outcome
Key concepts:
Stress and strain
Strength of materials
Mechanisms for strengthening a material

Skills:
Draw stress-strain curve for typical metal
Determine Elastic moduli, yield stress, ultimate stress,
ductility
Explain and apply different strengthening mechanisms

Mechanical Properties
Stress:

Force
Area

Strain:

Length
Length

Applied stress results in strain of material

Deformation can be temporary (elastic) or permanent (plastic)

Uniaxial Tensile Stress:

l
2

l
l

l
2

Youngs Modulus = stiffness of material = E

Contraction in other two directions given by Poissons ratio =

lateral strain

tensile
strain

Typically, = 0.2 ~ 0.4 for solids.

Typical Stress-Strain Curve for a Metal

U

yield: stress which results in permanent strain of 0.2%

ultimate: largest stress required to deform material (tensile strength)
fracture: stress at fracture (lower than u due to necking, void formation)

Ductility
Ductility can be defined as the permanent strain at fracture

Slip systems in metals for plastic deformation

Slip system: directions and planes along which slip occurs

FCC = 12
BCC = 48
HCP = 3
More slip systems lead to easier plastic deformation, thus, the ductility
BCC>FCC>HCP

Strengthening metals
Pure metals are generally soft and need to be strengthened for
structural applications
4 Primary methods
1) Solid solution strengthening: individual impurities slow
dislocation motion
2) Precipitation strengthening: clusters of impurities stop
dislocation motion
3) Grain boundaries: blocks dislocations from moving
between grains
4) Strain Hardening: deforming metals at low temperatures
increases density of dislocations, which block one another
All 4 methods relate to blocking dislocations increase yield
strength, decrease ductility, little effect on elastic modulus

Solid solution strengthening

Precipitation strengthening

Fe

g lid e

Fe3C

Grain boundaries

Grain Boundary Strengthening

Yield strength depends on grain size

y = yo + k/d0.5
y = yield strength of material
yo = intrinsic strength without grain boundaries
k = materials property
d = grain diameter
Small grains = high strength
Large grains = low strength
At nanoscale, equation invalid (other mechanisms occur)

Cold Work Strengthening

Activity:

From the figure above, estimate % change in strength,

ductility and Youngs modulus for each metal.

Typical Thermoplastic
0OF
100OF

200OF
300OF

Question: Explain how increasing the temperature affects

Youngs Modulus
Strength
Ductility

Ductility depends on temperature

Example: The Titanic was built in warm waters in Belfast harbor in

Northern Ireland. Fracture toughness of the steel was high. In the
frigid North Atlantic Ocean, the fracture toughness was reduced, so
the collision with the iceberg tore the hull open.

Expected Outcome
Key concepts:
Stress and strain
Strength of materials
Mechanisms for strengthening a material

Skills:
Draw stress-strain curve for typical metal
Determine Elastic moduli, yield stress, ultimate stress,
ductility
Explain and apply different strengthening mechanisms