Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

ME 2356: Laboratory for Mechanics of Materials

Fall 2016

[Lab Title Here]

Submitted by
[Your name here]

Date Submitted:
Date Performed:
Lab Section:
Lab TA:
Course Instructor:

ME 2356 Laboratory Template

Introduction
Provide a brief statement of what the purpose of the experiment was. Do not
write verbatim what was written in the Lab Handout! Provide in your own
words, The objectives of this experiment were to
DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON in technical lab reports! i.e., do not use I or
we.
Methods
Briefly explain what you did: what instrument you used, what sample(s)
were tested, what you measured, how the measurements were taken, how
many trials you did, etc.. You should include a photograph or sketch of the
experimental setup as a figure in this section, labeled and numbered. For
example:

Figure 1. PASCO stress-strain test equipment (example of a figure).

Experimental Results
In this section, describe the results and include any specific results that are
requested in the Lab Handout. Remember to refer your reader to specific
Figures, Tables and Appendices where applicable and show your calculations
and data manipulation.
Figures should be labelled by
figure number, included in the
body of the report (not in an
Appendix)
and
include
legends, if appropriate.
Graphs
are
figures
and
therefore should be numbered
consecutively within the body
of the report. Both axes on a
graph must be labeled with
units.

ME 2356 Laboratory Template

Figure 2. Typical Ground Reaction Forces by Humans During Running (example of

a graph).

Tables should be labeled by table number and included in the body of the
report (not in an Appendix). Note that it is preferable to have Figures and
Tables close to the text where they are discussed so copy and paste them
into the body of the report. The goal of the Experimental Results section is
to report the results NOT to discuss whether they are good or bad results.
Usually the trends in a graph are pointed out, but not fully explained. The
discussion of the data and any trends is saved for the Discussion section.
Table 1. Experimental Test Results for Steel During Tensile Test on Instron (example of table).
Test Sample

Experimental Results
Displacement (units?)

Measured Load (units?)

Fill in data here

Discussion
In the discussion, you should point out how your experimental results
compare with theory, and suggest and explain reasons for deviations.
Discuss the sources of error in the experiment. Things to consider: What are
the limitations of this experiment? What could be improved? Did the
experimental data compare with results predicted from theory and/or
equations? Were the results of the experiment reproducible (or not)? In
other words, if someone else repeated the same experiment, would they get
the same results as you? Why or why not?
You should also answer any specific questions from the Lab Handout in this
Discussion section of the report.
Conclusions
Summarize the project goals and the major findings in 1-2 paragraphs.

ME 2356 Laboratory Template