Session

2015/16

ME2151
Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Solutions
to Tutorial 1

Chapter 2: Mechanical Properties, Chapter 3: Atomic Structure

Chapter 4: Crystal Structures
1. A tensile test on a 12.8 mm diameter cylindrical specimen of an aluminium alloy yielded the
data in Table T1-1.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

Plot the engineering stress-strain curve up to 1% strain only.

Calculate the modulus of elasticity.
Determine the 0.2% offset yield strength.
Estimate the ultimate tensile strength.
Find the ductility in percent elongation.

(a) To plot the stress-strain curve, the given data of load and gauge length must first be
converted into stress and strain, respectively.
Stress, = AF = F 2
d0
0

Load (N)

ll

0
Strain, = l
l0 = l0

where do = 12.8 mm and lo=50.8 mm

0
7 330
15 100
23 100
30 400
34 400
38 400

Gauge
Length
(mm)
50.800
50.851
50.902
50.952
51.003
51.054
51.308

Stress
(MPa)

Strain
(%)

0.00
56.96
117.35
179.52
236.25
267.33
298.42

0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
1.0

(b) Modulus of elasticity, E = slope of linear portion of stress-strain curve

0
= 236.25
0.0040 = 59.06 GPa

(c) The 0.2% offsetyield strength is the stress at which the stress-strain curve intersects
a line originating at 0.2% strain and parallel to the linear portion of the stress-strain
curve. The value is estimated to be about 280 MPa.

(d) The UTS is the maximum stress on the stress-strain curve, and it corresponds to the
maximum load applied in the tensile test; i.e. 47 500 N.
UTS =

Fmax Fmax
= 2 = 47500 2 = 369.13 MPa
A0
d
(0.0128)
4 0
4

length after fracture - original gauge length

(e) %EL =
x 100%
original gauge length

= strain after fracture

= strain at fracture - elastic recovery

Strain at fracture =

length at fracture - original gauge length

x 100%
original gauge length

= 59.182 - 50.8 x 100%

50.8

= 16.5%

Since the slope of the dashed line is parallel to the linear portion of the stress-strain
curve (i.e. modulus of elasticity, E),
at fracture
E = Stress
Elastic recovery

fracture = 36400 = 282.87 MPa

Stress at fracture = Load atAfracture = Load at
d0 2
(0.0128)2
0

fracture = 282.87 x 10 = 0.5%

Elastic recovery = Stress at
9
E
59.06 x 10

recovery = 16.5 - 0.5 = 16%

%EL = strain at fracture - elastic

2. A bimetallic strip of iron and copper is used in a thermostat. At room temperature, the strip
is flat, but when heated, the strip curls as shown in Fig. T1-1. Using sketches of the energyseparation curves for iron and copper, explain the behaviour of this bimetallic strip

When a material is heated, there is an increase in

the kinetic energy of atoms, which may be seen as
a shift in the total energy of an atom up the
potential well. The average vibrational amplitude of
an atom at any temperature conforms to the
width of the potential well corresponding to the
same temperature, and the average interatomic
separation is represented by the mean position of
this vibration. Due to the asymmetrical shape of
the well, the average interatomic separation
increases with rising temperatures.
Copper has a broader (and usually shallower)
potential well compared to that of iron, which is
narrower (and usually deeper). The increase in
interatomic separation for the same temperature
rise would be greater in copper than in iron. This
means copper expands more than iron when
heated, resulting in a curved bimetallic strip.

3. Pure iron undergoes an allotropic transformation at 912C: above this temperature, the FCC
form exists, while below, the BCC form is stable. Without performing any mathematical
calculation, deduce whether an expansion or a contraction occurs when FCC iron transforms
to BCC iron at 912C. Compute the percent volume change if the lattice parameters of FCC
and BCC iron are 0.3591 nm and 0.2863 nm, respectively.

The FCC crystal is a close-packed structure [Sec 4.4 of ME2151 lecture notes], in which the all
the atoms are in direct contact; this results in the highest density possible. The BCC
crystal, on the other hand, is not closed-packed. Thus when FCC (higher density) iron
transforms to BCC (lower density) iron, an expansion occurs.

VolFCC = aFCC3 = 0.35913 nm3

No. of atoms per FCC cell = 4
VolBCC = aBCC3 = 0.28633 nm3
No. of atoms per BCC cell = 2
FCC

BCC

[Note that VolFCC is the volume occupied by 4 iron atoms packed in the FCC configuration, which includes
associated empty space. VolBCC is the volume occupied by 2 iron atoms in the BCC configuration (including
associated empty space). It is therefore necessary to compare the volume of each FCC cell with that of 2
BCC cells. This problem may also be solved by comparing the respective volumes occupied by one atom
(including associated empty space) in the FCC and BCC cells. A further alternative is to consider the
densities of the two forms of iron.]

Vol. change from FCC to BCC =

2VolBCC - VolFCC
VolFCC
3

2(0.2863) - 0.3591
x 100%
3
0.3591

= 1.36%

4. Sketch one plane each in the FCC, BCC and HCP unit cells in which atoms are most densely
packed. On each of these planes, sketch one close-packed direction.

FCC unit cell:

BCC unit cell:

HCP unit cell:

5. Calculate the radius of the largest sphere, relative to the radius of the host atom (i.e. r/R),
that can be placed, without straining the surrounding host atoms, in the octahedral
interstitial sites of (a) an FCC unit cell, and (b) a BCC unit cell.

(a) [Consider the octahedral site at the centre of an FCC unit cell. The face-centred lattice
atoms are all equidistant from the centre of the cell, and would therefore all be in
contact with the largest possible atom placed in this site.]
Consider the vertical plane containing this site,
2R + 2r = a = 4R for FCC structures

r=

2 R - R = ( 2 - 1)R

r = 0.414
R

(b) [Consider the octahedral site at the centre of top face of a BCC unit cell. Because the
BCC structure is not a close-packed structure, the lattice atoms surrounding this site
are not equidistant neighbours, so the largest possible atom in this site would touch
only the body-centred lattice atoms above and below it.]
Consider the vertical plane containing this site,
2R + 2r = a = 4R for BCC structures

3 r = 2R -

r = 0.155
R

3 R = (2 - 3 )R