Tensile Test Lab

Aim:
To perform a tensile test on a sample of aluminum specimen until its failure.
To analyze the tensile test data to calculate proof load, yield point ultimate tensile
strength, load at fracture when a material is subjected to tensile load.
To find the range of aluminum using the calculations.
Theory: Tensile test is fundamental for understanding properties of different materials, and
how they will behave under load. Tensile test is one of the most important test for engineering,
and provides valuable information about a material and its properties. These properties can be
used for design and improvement of engineering structures. In this test a test piece of known
cross sectional area and gauge length is gripped in jaws of a tensile testing machine and is
subjected to gradual increasing tensile load. This increasing load produces an extension in a
test piece which increases with each increment of load. Ultimately the specimen fractures at
breaking point. The data from each test was used to determine valuable material properties
such as ultimate tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and yield strength .The stress and strain
were calculated for sample aluminum to show the difference between the stress and strain.




Point A is known as limit of proportionality. Up to A stress is directly proportional to strain.

Point B is known as Elastic limit or yield point. Up to B material regains dimension on removal of
load.

Beyond point B material goes
into plastic state. And there will
be permanent deformation on
removal of load. C & D are upper
and lower yield points.

Point E is maximum stress which
a material can withstand and
load at E is known as maximum
load.

Beyond point E there is increase
in extension without increasing
load and material will ultimately
fail at point F known as rupture
strength.


When a material reaches its ultimate stress strength of the stress-strain curve, its cross-
sectional area reduces dramatically, a term known as necking. The necked region is caused by
deformation
instability and after it forms, all further deformation is restricted to this region. It should be
realized that the true stress required to pull the sample to failure constantly increases until
fracture.
But, since the engineering stress is calculated by using the original cross-section, after necking
occurs the engineering stress decreases.
The true stress-strain curve could be constructed directly by installing a gauge, which
measures the change in the cross sectional area of the specimen throughout the experiment.

Engineering stress () is equal to the force (F) per unit area based on
the original cross-sectional area (A) of the sample.

Engineering strain () is based on the original length of the gauge length of the sample () and
equals the elongation divided by the original length =

Since both and have units of length, strain has dimensionless units and is
expressed as either meter or millimeter. It is also common to express engineering strain as
percent strain or percent elongation:

% Engineering strain = engineering strain x 100% = % elongation

An ultimate tensile stress ( ) is defined as the maximum stress in the engineering stress strain
diagram. Materials, which experience extensive plastic deformation often, undergo localized
deformation called necking before final failure. The necked region is caused by deformation
instability and after it forms, all further deformation is restricted to this region. It should be
realized that the true stress required to pull the sample to failure constantly increases until
fracture.
But, since the engineering stress is calculated by using the original cross-section, after necking
occurs the engineering stress decreases.








he tensile testing laboratory was conducted using an Instron load frame and the BlueHill data
acquisition software.
The samples were cylindrical in cross section, with a reduced gage section. The reduced gage
section ensured that the highest stresses occurred within the gage, and not near the grips of the
Instron load frame, preventing strain and fracture of the specimen near or in the grips. The reduced
gage section of each specimen was about 12.7 mm (0.5 inches). The samples were already
machined to the proper dimensions required for the test, according to ASTM standards.

Rockwell hardness number (HR)= E e
F0 = preliminary minor load in kgf
F1 = additional major load in kgf
F = total load in kgf
e = permanent increase in depth of penetration due to major load F1 measured in units of 0.002
mm
E = a constant depending on form of indenter: 100 units for diamond indenter, 130 units for
steel ball indenter
HR = Rockwell hardness number
http://www.eng.morgan.edu/~mahmud/iegr309/rockwell.htm


Description of Apparatus:
1. Rockwell hardness tester.


2. Specimen of different material


MIT Lab equipment
MIT Hardness test samples
http://www.auto-
met.com/rockwell_hardness_tester/images/R
OCKWELL_HARDNESS_SCALES_chart.jpg
3. Diamond and ball intenders


Assumptions:
1. The Rockwell tester is perfectly calibrated with no parallax error.
Calibration is done by
Balancing depth-measuring device
Balancing load cell
Verifying condition of anvil
Verifying condition of indenter
Verifying hardness on a certified test block for the applicable range to be used
2. The indenters are standardized free from surface defects (cracks, chips, pits, etc.)They
are cleaned and polished. Since an minute particle of dust, dirt may affect the reading.
3. The whole apparatus is places at levelled surface. Because if the surface is not levelled,
on application of load the dial will give different reading.
4. The hand wheel was rotated gently during elevation of the anvil. Otherwise, the indenter
may be destroyed due to the abrupt strike of the indenter tip with the specimen.
5. For first two readings Rockwell scale B is used in which load is 100kg and intender is
1

16
-inch-diameter (1.588 mm) steel sphere.
6. For the third reading Rockwell scale C is used in which load is 150 kg and intender is
120 diamond cone .
7. The test specimen is held securely during application of major load of 100 and 150 kg.
Method of data collected:
1. First, the Rockwell B indenter was chosen and was fixed in the main rod tester.
2. The front lever arm of the tester was kept vertically which was set position.
3. The test specimen was placed on the anvil .The hand wheel was slowly turned until the
test specimen was in contact with the anvil.
4. As soon as the test specimen touched the tip of intender the hand wheel was stopped
and small wheel on left side of tester was rotated so that the tip of the dial came at zero
position.
5. The load was set to 100kg and scale chosen was Rockwell B.
http://www.diamonddressersindia.com/inden
ters.html
6. Now the lever was moved to test position. Which applied 100kg weight on the test
specimen.
7. On application of load the dial moved and settled at certain reading after 15 to 20
seconds.
8. This reading showed the depth of impression and not the required hardness number
9. The lever was returned to set position. Which removed the 100 kg load on the specimen.
The dial again moved and settled at spot showed the hardness number
10. The result was recorded and readings were taken 3 times.
11. Repeat same experiment two more times on different samples and third time diamond
intender was used.
Raw data:
TEST
SPECIME
N
LOAD
(Kg)
INTENDER READING 1 READING 2 READING 3 AVERAGE
Test 1 Specimen 1 100 Steel ball 60 61.5 62 61.16
Test 2 Specimen 2 100 Steel ball 88.5 88.5 89 88.66
Test 3 Specimen 3 150 Diamond 55 54.5 55 54.83

Graphs:


0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3
D
I
A
L

G
A
U
G
E

R
E
A
D
I
N
G

READINGS
SPECIMEN 3
Specimen 3
Discussion:
Here we can see different scales of Rockwell
hardness test along with the applications on
different materials. In scale B the applications are
aluminum, copper, soft steel, and malleable iron.so
its clear that specimen 1 and 2 could be any one
from aluminum, copper, soft steel and malleable
iron.

Figure below shows a graph of the relationship
between the experimental Rockwell hardness
number and the referenced Rockwell hardness
number obtained from MatWeb for ALUMINIUM and
STEEL .

The results show only a small deviation from the
reference data.







Relationship between Rockwell hardness number for ALUMINIUM and STEEL
http://mee-inc.com/rockhar.html
Figure shows a graph of the
relationship between the
experimental Rockwell
hardness number and the
referenced Rockwell
hardness number obtained
from MatWeb for TOOL
STEEL

Test found our samples to be
slightly harder than the
reference numbers indicated.
Which shows error.
However due to continuous
use of equipment uncertainty
in numbers arises. This could
be reduced by properly
calibrating the equipment
before experiment and using
clean and polished specimen.





Conclusion:

The Rockwell experiment is designed to test hardness of a metal sample. The Rockwell test
measures the depth of penetration and returns a hardness number. The specimen are found to
be ALUMINIUM, STAINLESS STEEL and TOOL STEEL


References:
www.MatWeb.com.
http://www.hardnesstesters.com/Applications/Rockwell-Hardness-Testing.aspx
http://www.matweb.com/reference/rockwell-hardness.aspx
http://www.astm.org/Standards/E18.htm
http://www.engineershandbook.com/Tables/hardness.htm




Rockwell hardness number for TOOL STEEL
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Tool Steel
R
o
c
k
w
e
l
l

h
a
r
d
n
e
s
s

C

REFRENCED RHN
CALCULATED RHN