Answers to Final Examination Questions

Course MM733 Mechanical Characterisation of Materials

Department of Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science
IIT Bombay
Term: 2015-1 (Second Half)
Date of Examination: 17/11/2015
Maximum marks: 60

Time: 2 hours

Note to Students
Avoid lengthy descriptions. Label diagrams properly. Explain the steps in derivations and calculations.
Q.1:

Briefly explain the features of how specimens are prepared for

(a) Specimen preparation for micro-pillar compression testing

(2)

Ans. Focussed ion beam is used. It consists of high energy Ga 3+ ions that
evaporate the material.
(b) Testing machine for superplasticity testing.

(2)

Ans. Specimen shape is similar to tensile testing, but the gauge length is only a
couple of centimetres, so that large elongation (up to 8000%) can be
accommodated in the test frame.
Q.2:

What is Meyer hardness? How is it different from Brinell hardness? What

information about deformation behaviour of an alloy can be obtained from Meyer
hardness data?

(4)

Ans. Meyer hardness is load/(projected area of indentation). Steel balls are used
as indenters. Brinell hardness is load/(surface area of the indentation). Flow curve
equation can be obtained from Meyer hardness by measuring hardness at
increasing loads and measuring indentation diameter. (Details from Dieters book).
Q.3:

Nanoindentation was done on three different types materials:

(6)

(1) Elastic material, (2) Elastic-plastic material, and (3) Viscoelastic material.
Using a Berkovich indenter, load was applied at a rate of 20 mNs-1. The maximum
load was 500 mN and it was kept constant for a period of 60 s. Finally, the load
was decreased to zero at 20 mNs-1.
Draw schematic load vs displacement plots for the three types of materials in this
experiment. Explain the features of the plots.
Ans.

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Elastic material recovers the entire deformation due to indentation. There is no

time dependent deformation. So, loading unloading curves overlap.
Elastic-plastic material undergoes both, elastic and plastic deformation during
loading. Only elastic deformation is recovered during unloading, hence loading
and unloading curve dont overlap. There is no time dependent deformation in
such a material.
Visco-elastic material continues to deform as the maximum load is held constant
for 60 s (time dependent deformation). Some of the elastic deformation is
recovered during unloading. (The rest would be recovered after load reaches zero.
Nanoindentation instrumentation may not be able to record this recovery).
Q.4:

What are Goodman equation and Goodman plot. How are they useful?
Ans. Goodman equation:

(4)

a fat 1 mean where a is (allowable) stress

UTS

amplitude, fat is the endurance limit (zero mean stress), mean is the applied mean
stress, and UTS is the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy.

The equation and the plot help in determining the safe stress amplitude for a given
mean stress in fatigue loading of a material.
Q.5:

Explain the concept of cyclic strain hardening. What is its role in low cycle fatigue
of metallic alloys?

(5)

Ans. As the strain amplitude in fatigue test increases, the stress developed also

increases. This is cyclic strain hardening. Equation for this:
K
2
2

n'

where n is cyclic strain hardening exponent and K is a constant. is stress

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range and is strain range.

In low cycle fatigue an empirical equation relates strain amplitude to cycles to
failure,

1
2

pl ' f 2 N f . Here, c
c

1
.
1 5n'

Hence, as the cyclic strain hardening exponent is larger, the material can
withstand larger strain amplitude for a given number of cycles to failure.
Q.6:

A fatigue test was conducted by applying stress that varied sinusoidally with time.
The mean stress was 75 MPa while the stress amplitude was 175 MPa. Calculate
the maximum and minimum stresses, stress range and stress ratio.
Ans.

Mean

max min
75 MPa,
2
max min 150

mean

stress

stress

amplitude

max min
175 MPa. Hence
max min 350
2

Solving

the

simultaneous

equations

given

above,

one

gets

max = 250 MPa, min = -100 MPa, stress range of max min
stress ratio of
Q.7:

(4)

the

answers

350 MPa and

min 100

0.4
max
250

An alloy exhibits a steady state strain rate of 10-5 s-1 in a tensile creep test under
constant stress of 50 MPa, at a temperature of 650C. The stress exponent for this
alloy is 5 and the activation energy for creep is 300 kJ mol-1. (Universal gas
constant R = 8.314 J K-1mol-1).
(a) Calculate the steady state strain rate if the stress applied is 75 MPa at the
same temperature. Assume that grain growth is negligible at test
temperatures.

(2)

Ans. For constant temperature, C , 2 1 2 C being constant
1
5
Given the values of stresses, 1 and n, we get 2 7.59 10 s-1.
n

(b) At 50 MPa applied stress, what should be the temperature of the test so that
the steady state strain rate is lower by a factor of 5?
Ans. For constant
Q 1

stress,

Q
C exp
, C being constant. Hence,
RT
1

2
R T T
e 1 2.
1

(3)

Therefore,

1 R
T2 ln 2 Here,
T1 Q 1

T1 = 923 K,

2 1
0.2 and the answer is T2 = 886.5 K, i.e. 613.5C.
1 5
Q.8:

In measuring the fracture toughness of brittle ceramics by the indentation

technique, it is important that crack lengths are sufficiently long so that they can
be measured accurately, e.g. by scanning electron microscopy.
The indentation fracture toughness is given by the Anstis equation:

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E 2 P
K c 3
H 2
c

. Here, c is the crack length.

Toughness of zirconia is to be tested using Vickers indenter. Youngs modulus of

zirconia, E = 200 GPa, hardness H = 12 GPa. The expected fracture toughness is
5 MPa m1/2. Constant (zeta) = 0.016.
(a) Calculate the load required (P) so that the crack length is 50 m.
Ans. All values in Anstis equation are given, except P. Inserting values in SI

200 10
units, 5 10 0.016
9
12 10

P

50 10 6

1
2

3
2

(2)

Answer is P = 27.06 N or P = 2.76 kg.

(b) What is the critical strain energy release rate (Gc) for zirconia, assuming plane
stress condition?
Ans. For plane stress condition,
Q.9:

Gc

(2)

K c2
=125 J m-2.
E

What is modulus of rupture for a ceramic? How is it determined?

(4)

Ans. Fracture stress of a ceramic

in 3-point or 4-point bend test is
called modulus of rupture. The
specimen is rectangular cross
section bar without any notch.
The modulus of rupture is given
as
= 3LF/(2bd) in 3-point test of
rectangular specimen
= 3Fa/(bd) in 4-point test of
rectangular specimen
L specimen length;
F total force applied to the
specimen by two loading pins;
b specimen width;
d specimen thickness;
a
distance
between
the
supporting and loading pins (for
4-point)
Q.10: In a typical pin-on-disc wear test, the pin diameter is 3 mm and the disc diameter
is 100 mm. The disc rotates at 300 rpm. Wear distance of 10 km was accumulated
in 133 minutes. What is the wear track radius?

(4)

Ans. Wear distance L 2RSt where R is wear track radius, S is rotation speed in
rpm and t is testing time in minutes. 10000 2R 300 133 . So R 39.89 mm.
Q.11: What are the important parameters that need to be controlled for conducting the
following tests?

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(a) Abrasion test, and

Ans. Diameter of abrasion wheel, abrading material composition and particle
size, and load applied on the specimen.
(b) Erosion test by solid particle impingement using gas jets
Ans. Gas velocity, eroding particle composition and particle size, distance of
nozzle from specimen surface.

(3)

Q.12: Which mechanical test (method and equipment) is best suited for obtaining the
following information? Give reasons for your choice. (One technique each for a, b,
c, d and e).

(10)

(3)

(a) Yield stress at 400C, of a coating of NiAl with ~100 m thickness, deposited
on a Ni-base superalloy.
Ans. Microtensile testing, as it is suitable for testing thin coating after it is
removed from the substrate and made into a dog-bone shape
(b) Youngs modulus of SiC particles in SiC reinforced Al-alloy metal matrix
composite.
Ans. Nanoindentation, as it is capable of measuring Youngs modulus of a
small volume of material.
(c)

Effect of compressive mean stress on fatigue limit of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

Ans. Fatigue test in a servo-hydraulic machine, as it is capable of controlling
the mean stress.

(d) Mode-I fracture toughness of martensitic stainless steel.

Ans. Compact tension test, as it is the test designed for mode-I fracture
toughness of metallic materials
(e)

Hardness profile of induction surface hardened steel gear.

Ans. Series of microhardness tests on cross section of hardened gear
(preferably with Knoop indenter, but Vickers can also be used). Reason:
microhardness methods measure hardness in small enough region so that
closely spaced indents can be made.

These are answer keys. Students are expected to write answers with complete
explanation/drawings/steps in calculations.

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