CIVE 265 Structure and Properties of Materials Lab #2 Tensile Testing of Metals

The mechanical properties of metals under tensile loading are studied in this lab. Two material types, Steel and Aluminum, are tested to understand the behaviour of metals under tensile loading. Using an axial tension testing machine, tensile loads are applied to each specimen until failure, and plots of load vs. displacement are obtained. From these plots, stress vs. strain curves will be generated and the test results will be analyzed and discussed.

Procedure:
The lab was carried out by the course TAs (K. Ghahremani, R. Coughlin) and Lab Technician (R. Morrison) using the MTS testing frame in the UW Structures Lab. The employed MTS 810 Material Testing System is an integrated testing package with loading capacity of 100 KN, equipped with hydraulic control, hydraulic power, and hydraulic actuated grips (see Figure 1). The specimen geometry and specification and loading rates are based on [ASTM E8-03, Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials]. Each specimen was carefully inspected and the required dimensions, i.e. width, thickness, and gauge length, were measured at three different points in its reduced section before each test. Then the specimen was put in the frame and the ends clamped between two grips, one fixed to the movable crosshead on top and other fixed to the immobile grip on the bottom. Each specimen was then loaded beyond yield, unloaded and reloaded to failure using the MultiPurpose Testware with a prescribed loading rate. This software records force and displacement, in N and mm respectively, during testing. After failure (fracture into two pieces), the final cross section dimensions and elongation were measured.
Figure 1: MTS 810 testing frame.

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Test specimen:
Test Specimens were made according to ASTM E8-03 (see Figure 2). Three types of specimens were tested: Type 1 (S 1,2,3,4,5) made of Steel 350W, Type 2 (Al 1,2,3) made of Aluminum 6061, and Type 3 (Al-A 1,2) made of annealed Aluminum 6061. Type 3 uses the same base material as Type 2 but underwent a heat treatment which simulates the effect of welding. The procedure outlined in ASTM B918/B918M-09 was used and describes standard practices for the heat treatment of wrought aluminum alloys. Annealing 6061 grade aluminum requires the metal to be heated to 765 F (407 C) and maintained at this temperature for 2 to 3 hours. To obtain full annealing, the specimen must then be cooled at a rate of 50 F/h (28 C/h) to 500 F (260 C).

Figure 2: Rectangular tension test specimen geometry [ASTM E8-03]. The specimens dimensions before and after testing and loading rates at each stage, i.e. loading, unloading, and reloading, are summarized in Table 1.

Figure 3. Measuring specimen cross section dimensions and length after failure

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Table 1: Specimen description and loading details.

Dimensions before testing (mm) Average Average Gauge Width Thickness Length (W0) (T0) (L0) 12.75 12.76 12.76 12.80 12.75 12.72 12.73 12.72 12.72 12.71 9.64 9.65 9.61 9.36 9.42 9.75 9.68 9.78 9.76 9.75 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 50.80 Dimensions after failure (mm) Width (Wf) 8.92 8.93 9.10 8.53 9.18 10.50 10.61 10.65 9.82 9.30 Thickness (Tf) 6.57 6.46 6.64 6.36 6.75 6.96 6.95 6.44 5.81 5.32 Length (Lf) 67.33 67.72 67.53 66.54 67.00 61.00 59.82 60.94 69.18 70.35 Loading 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Loading rates (mm per minute) Unloading 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Reloading 1-5 1-5 1-5 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-15 3-15

Symbol S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Al 1 Al 2 Al 3 Al-A 1 Al-A 2

Material Steel Steel Steel Steel Steel Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Annealed Aluminum Annealed Aluminum

Three specimens, one of each type, were filmed during testing and the compiled video file, together with the real time load displacement histories, is uploaded to UW-ACE. *Note that the program takes the displacement values from an extensometer. The gauge length for the extensometer is 50.70 mm, i.e. to calculate engineering strain at each point using given histories, displacement values should be divided by 50.70. Each group is required to watch the video, set an appointment with one of the TAs to see the fractured specimens, and write a lab report. The report itself should include the following elements: 1. INTRODUCTION Introduce the subject in the report and briefly state the purpose and usefulness of the study. 2. DATA ANALYSIS The purpose of this analysis is to calculate various mechanical properties for the three different metals, namely: the modulus of elasticity, yield stress, ultimate stress, resilience, toughness, failure strain, and percent area reduction. Details of Specimens Briefly describe the test specimens used for this experiment as summarized in Table 2.

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Table 2: Specimen description and loading details.

Specimen Annealed Aluminum As received Steel As received Al 1,2,3 S 1,2,3,4,5 Load beyond yield, unload and reload to failure Load beyond yield, unload and reload to failure Symbol Al - A 1,2 Loading Load beyond yield, unload and reload to failure

Specimen Geometry Describe the geometry of the specimens using Figure 3 and Table 1.

Figure 3: Typical specimen. Table 3: Specimen geometry (mm).

Specimen S 1,2,3,4,5 Al 1,2,3 Al-A 1,2 Width (W0) Thickness (T0) Gauge Length (L0) Area (A0)

Details of Testing Equipment Describe the testing machine (briefly). Note the units of measurement used by the machine.

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Measured Data Generate load vs. displacement curves for each specimen using the data uploaded to UW-ACE. Describe these curves and note any observed trends. Describe the failure surface for each specimen type (as mentioned earlier, you can come to TAs office in CPH 3654 to see the fractured specimens). Table 4: Specimen dimensions after testing (mm).
Specimen S 1,2,3,4,5 Al 1,2,3 Al-A 1,2 Width (Wf) Thickness (Tf) Gauge Length (Lf) Area (Af)

Table 5: Description of load-displacement curves.

Specimen S 1,2,3,4,5 Al 1,2,3 Al-A 1,2 Yield Load (kN) Yield Disp. (mm) Max. Load (kN) Failure Disp. (mm)

Calculated Data Do the following: Plot engineering stress vs. strain curves for Specimens S 1, Al 1, and Al-A 1 in one figure. Discuss the different properties of the various metals. Plot engineering stress vs. strain curves including all the specimens for each metal. Discuss the variability between the specimens for each metal. Plot individual engineering and true stress vs. strain curves for each of the specimens (engineering and true stress vs. strain on the same plot). Study and explain the significance of each plot. Discuss the practical value of each plot.

Note: Make sure that the plots originate at zero stress and zero strain. Stress units should be in MPa.

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Mechanical Properties Do the following: Calculate the material properties in Table 6 for each of the specimens. Explain the practical importance of each material property.

Table 6: Mechanical properties.

Elastic Modulus, E (MPa) Yield Stress, fy (MPa) Ultimate Stress, fu (MPa) Ductility %EL Ductility %RA Resilience Toughness Modulus, (J/m3) Ur (J/m3)

Specimen S 1,2,3,4,5 Al 1,2,3 Al-A 1,2

3. DATA INTERPRETATION This section can be used to discuss the differences in the observed material behaviour of the steel and aluminum materials tested, and the effect of annealing on the behaviour of aluminum. Sources of Error Describe the various possible sources of error in this lab. 4. CONCLUDING REMARKS Summarize the findings. 5. REFERENCES Document the references considered for preparing the report. 6. APPENDICES Categorize the appendices and label each of them. The appendix can include the required plots (or they can be placed in the main body), extra pictures, or any important information. Sample calculations must also be included in the appendix.