Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad

Determination of
Shear Modulus of a
Material
Report #4

Group #2
Objective

The objective of this experiment was to observe the behaviour of material against
maximum bending forces and determine the shear modulus of steel, brass and
aluminium and to measure the deflection in a rod specimen under twist.

Literature Review

 Torsion Test - A torsion test measures the strength of any material against
maximum bending forces. It is an extremely common test used in material
mechanism to measure how much bend a certain material can withstand
before cracking or breaking. This applied bend pressure is referred to as
torque. Materials typically used in the manufacturing industry, such as metal
fasteners and beams, are often subject to torsion testing to determine their
strength under stress.

 Shear Stress - A shear stress, denoted (Greek: tau), is defined as the

component of stress coplanar with a material cross section. Shear stress
arises from the force vector component parallel to the cross section.

 Ductility - Ductility is a measure of how much strain a material can take

before rupturing. A material with high ductility will be able to be drawn into
long, thin wires without breaking. A material with low ductility is instead brittle,
and though it may be strong, once it deforms enough, it will simply rupture.

 Why perform a Torsion test? - Many products and components are

subjected to torsional forces during their operation. Products such as
biomedical catheter tubing, switches, fasteners, and automotive steering
columns are just a few devices subject to such torsional stresses. By testing
these products in torsion, manufacturers are able to simulate real life service
conditions, check product quality, verify designs, and ensure proper
manufacturing techniques.

Typical Testing Configuration - An electromechanically or hydraulically-

powered testing machine can be used for torsion testing. An electromechanically
drive system transfers the rotational motion of a motor to the specimen while a
hydraulic system employs closed loop servo control together with the hydraulic
power supply to apply torsion load.

Both electromechanical and hydraulic systems should be fitted with the control
system that is capable of controlling the test and collecting data at high
frequencies.
 Either style of testing machine may have a horizontal or vertical test space and
can be fitted with a variety of grips to hold the specimen during a test. Standard
torsion grips include drill-type chucks, collets, and sockets.

Apparatus

A device for measuring twist angle, which is called torsi meter, dismounted on the
specimen before it is inserted into the sockets was used for this experiment. The
parts of the torsion testing machine are shown below

Figure 1 Torsi-meter

Procedure

The span is set at 600 mm. test specimen of steel; brass and aluminium are
respectively put through the torsional fastening component of the bearers and locked
in to the fixed bearer first. The test specimen is then fastened to the lever mounted in
the bearing so as to be in close contact with the upper limit pin. Set the testing
device so that the top of the gauge is just in front of the groove of the lever. The
gauge is lowered so that it small hand is at about 10, and the gauge is set to zero by
twisting it outer ring. As the interval between the groove of the lever and the centre of
the test specimen is 57.3 mm, 1 revolution of the gauge corresponds to 1 0. Vary the
load as indicated in the table and read off the torsional angle. The load device is
used as the no load.
Calculations

The formula that is we use for the calculations is given below

𝑇𝐿
∅=
𝐽𝐺
𝑇𝐿
𝐺=
∅𝐽

Where
𝜋
𝐽 = 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎 = (𝑟 4 ) = 401.92x10-12m4
2

𝐿 = 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ = 600mm = 0.6m

𝑇 = 𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛t

∅ = 𝑇𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙e

𝐺 = 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢s

Material Load (N) Torsional Torsional Shear Modulus

Moment Angle ϕ G (N/m2) Gmed (N/m2)
(Nm) (degrees) GPa GPa
2.50 0.175 0.28 53.4
Steel 7.50 0.525 0.82 54.7 53.80
12.5 0.875 1.40 53.4
2.50 0.175 0.61 24.5
Brass 7.50 0.525 1.86 24.1 24.03
12.5 0.875 3.18 23.5
2.50 0.175 0.84 17.8
Aluminum 7.50 0.525 1.55 28.9 22.36
12.5 0.875 3.85 20.4

References

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility
 http://www.scribd.com/doc/19492302/Why-Perform-a-Torsion-Test

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