ABSTRACT:

Tensile tests are fundamental for understanding the properties of different materials, and how
they will behave under load. This lab-tested two different materials, which are mild steel and
aluminum specimen. The data was collected for this test from an ultimate tensile machine and
computer and the values from each test were used to determine valuable material properties such
as yield strength, ductility, young modulus of elasticity and stress-strain curve. These material
properties were used then for comparing the materials to each other, and to define the material as
brittle or ductile. In comparison to strength mild steel had a higher tensile resistance than
aluminum

Objective:
To determine the yield strength, ultimate strength, Young Modulus (Elastic Modulus), and
behavior of a given material when subjected to uniaxial loading and plot the graph of stress
versus strain

Introduction:
If one pulls on a material until it breaks, one can find out lots of information about the various
strengths and mechanical behaviors of the material .Tensile testing is one of the simplest and
most widely used mechanical tests. It is performed for several reasons. Mainly it’s used in
selecting material for use in engineering applications. The basic idea of a tensile test is to place a
specimen in our case its mild steel and aluminum. Between two metal fixtures called grips to
secure the material. The material has known dimensions like area and length. Weight is applied
at one end of the material while the other end is gripped firmly by the clamps of universal tensile
machine. We then keep on increasing the load being applied to the materials and at the same time
measuring the change in length of the material.

When a specimen is applied with load internal forces will come in to play within to balance the
outside forces

The stress applied to a material is the force per unit area applied to the material. The maximum
stress a material can stand before it breaks is called the breaking stress or ultimate tensile stress.
The formula is given below is for stress

Force( F )
Stress(σ )=
Area( A )
When a force is applied to a specimen there are external forces which come into play and one of
them is strain which is simply the measure of how much an object is stretched or deformed.
Strain occurs when force is applied to an object. Strain deals mostly with the change in length of
the object in terms of elongation and deformation which can be calculated using

Elongation( δ)
Strain (ε)= ¿
Original Length( L0 ¿

Young's modulus is a measure of the ability of a material to withstand changes in length when
under lengthwise tension or compression. Sometimes referred to as the modulus of elasticity,
Young's modulus is equal to the longitudinal stress divided by the strain. When comparing
temperature and mass in proportion to the deformation caused by the mass.

Stress( σ )
Elastic Modulus( E )=
Strain(ε )

The relationship between the stress and strain that a particular material displays is known as that
particular material's stress–strain curve. It is unique for each material and is found by recording
the amount of deformation [strain] at different intervals of a variety of loadings [stress].

By analyzing the curve a lot of mechanical properties can be discovered such as yield strength
Yield strength refers to the maximum stress that can be developed in a material without causing
plastic deformation.

Load at the lim it proportionality

Yield Strength=
Area

Ultimate strength also known as ultimate tensile strength is the maximum stress an object can
withstand without being elongated or stretched or the force required to pull a material toward
breakage.

Maximumload
Ultimate Strength=
Area
So after ultimate tensile strength is reached necking will gradually start. So Necking in stress-
strain curve refers to the situation of formation neck like structure before failure while a body is
subjected to loading. Another term for necking is also fracture.

Apparatus:
i. Tensile test machine

ii. Specimen (Mild steel and aluminum)

iii. Measurement apparatus (ruler, caliper, divider, etc.)

Cautions:
- The grips used in the testing machine were properly held to minimize the possibility of slippage
of the specimen.

- positioned specimen carefully to avoid misalignment

- Wore safety boots in case of any heavy equipment falls to the ground.

Procedures:
By use of Vernier calipers, the width and thickness of the each of the specimens of aluminum
and mild steel were measured.
- By use of a ruler, the length of each of the specimens was measured.

- Using the puncher, 2 notches were punched into the specimen.

- The specimen was fixed to the machine by pushing the top grip upwards and inserting the
specimen into the bottom grip.

- The top grip of the machine was lowered so that the top of the specimen was fixed into the grip.

- The specimen was fixed to the extensometer and it was ensured that the screw pins were resting
on the 2 notches.

- The software for acquiring and recording data was activated and the material corresponding to
the specimen was selected in the software.

- By zeroing the load cell, the Load Frame could only be set to measure only the tensile load on
each specimen inserted.

- To avoid slipping of the specimens, the scroll wheel was turned in preloading the machine so
that it would stay in place.

- After the specimen was removed, the extensometers were adjusted to the zero values and the
test moved on to the measurement of the specimen’s strain.

- The data was recorded by the software in the form of a spreadsheet.

- By placing each sample in the universal testing machine, the tensile test was conducted and the
results were recorded in the computer. The data was later used for the calculations and for the
plotting of the graphs.
Table of results:

Aluminum Mild Steel

Initial Diameter/mm Initial Diameter/mm
5.33 5.17
Initial Length/mm Initial Length/mm
129.75 130.3
Final Diameter/mm Final Diameter/mm
3.67 4.32
Final Length/mm Final Length/mm
133.77 132.31
Gauge Length/mm Gauge Length/mm
83.42 81.14
Area/mm² Area/mm²
22.31 20.99
Graphs:
The resulted data of the experiment was used to plot the following graphs:

Aluminum specimen

300

250

200
Stress/Mpa

150

100

50

0
1 7 1 3 19 2 5 3 1 3 7 4 3 49 5 5 61 67 73 79 8 5 91 9 7 0 3 0 9 1 5 2 1 2 7 3 3 3 9 4 5 5 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
-50 Strain

( ΔA )
( %RA )= x 100=52.6 %
( A ₀)

( ΔL )
( %EL )= x 100=3.10 %
( L0 )

Load at the Limit of Proportionality

Yield Strength=
Area
¿ 239 MPa
Maximun Load
Ultimate Strength=
Area
¿ 278 MPa

Mild Steel specimen

900

800 782.98

700

600

500
Stress/MPa

400

300

200

100

0
1 9 17 25 33 41 49 57 65 73 81 89 97 105 113 121 129 137 145
-100
Strain

( ΔA )
( %RA )= x 100=30.2 %
( A ₀)

( ΔL )
( %EL )= x 100=1.50 %
( L0 )

Load at the Limit of Proportionality

Yield Strength=
Area
¿ 752 MPa

Maximun Load
Ultimate Strength= =¿ 784 MPa
Area
Discussion:
The test results were consistent for each specimen. So basically from the values we got from the
tensile test machine we were able to plot and determine the stress and strain of aluminum and
mild steel. Mild steel had a higher ultimate tensile strength compared to aluminum as seen
above. While both specimen were subjected to the same amount of stress aluminum had a higher
Extension compared to mild steel. Then speaking in terms of elongation aluminum showed a
higher percentage of elongation [3.10%] in comparison of mild steel which showed [1.50%] of
elongation. From the graphs above we can also tell that that mild steel had higher yield strength
than aluminum thus concluding mild steel as having more ultimate tensile strength and being
more ductile of the two specimens while aluminum is more malleable

Conclusion:
In conclusion the tensile test gave us detailed perspective about both of the specimens mild steel
and aluminum and more importantly the relationship between stress and strain for both
specimens and how they are directly proportional to each other. From the values we understood
mild steel is more ductile than aluminum but both these metals have different engineering
applications in everyday life.

References:
1. CL Engineering, Mechanics of Materials (8th Edition ed.), (2012), G, J., & Barry
2. Engineering Archives, Tensile Test, (2008 – 2012).
3. Mechanics fundamentals archive 2014