Tensile Testing, also known as tension testing, is a destructive engineering and

materials science test whereby controlled tension is applied to a sample either as

a load for proof testing or until it fully fails.

This is one of the most common mechanical testing techniques. It is used to find out
how strong a material is and also how much it can be stretched before it breaks. This
test method is used to determine yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, ductility, strain
hardening characteristics, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio.

Test Properties
Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS)

The UTS is the maximum stress that a specimen is exposed to during testing. This may
differ from the specimen's strength when breaking depending on if it is brittle, ductile or
has properties of both. These material properties can change depending on
environment, for example in extreme hot or cold conditions.

Hooke's Law

Hooke's Law defines the relationship between the applied force and the elongation
shown in the test specimen where the ratio of stress to strain is constant.

Modulus of Elasticity

The modulus of elasticity measures the stiffness of a specimen whereby the material
will return to its original condition once the load has been removed. Once the material
has been stretched to the point where it no longer returns to its original length and
permanent deformation is shown, Hooke's Law no longer applies. This is known as the
elastic or proportonal limit.

Yield Strength

The yield strength is the point at which plastic deformation occurs under stress. This is
determined during testing over a measured gauge length via the use of devices known
as extensometers. The devices may be either be mechanical clip on or video where
non-contact is a limitation, e.g. elevated temperature testing.

Offset Method

The Offset Method is used on materials where the tensile properties make the yield
strength difficult to determine, such as with metals or plastics.

Alternate Moduli
In materials that do not have a well-defined linear region, alternative methods are used
to determine the modulus, including secant modulus and tangent modulus.

Strain

The strain of a specimen is the measurement of the change in length that the item
undergoes during testing divided by the original gauge length. Known as Engineering
strain or nominal strain.

Tensile Specimen Preparation

Tensile test specimens are prepared in a variety of ways depending on the test
specifications. The most commonly used specifications are BS EN ISO 6892-1 and
ASTM E8M. Most specimens use either a round or square standard cross section with
two shoulders and a reduced section gauge length in between. The shoulders allow the
specimen to be gripped while the gauge length shows the deformation and failure in the
elastic region as it is stretched under load. The reduced cross section gauge length of
specific dimensions assists with accurate calculation of engineering stress via load over
area calculation.