Mechanical testing Flashcards
What is mechanical testing?
The evaluation of parameters representing the mechanical properties of materials
What are 4 fundamental mechanical properties?
– Strength
– Hardness
– Ductility
– Toughness
What are the 4 purposes of mechanical testing?
– Engineering design
– Materials selection
– Materials development
– Investigation of failures
Describe the mechanical property of strength.
Usually considered as the tensile strength, which is defined as the maximum force required to fracture per unit cross sectional area in tension. In most cases however, the yield strength, the force at which the material begins to permanently deform, is the limiting factor
What is the limiting factor of strength?
In most cases however, the yield strength, the force at which the material begins to permanently deform, is the limiting factor
Describe the mechanical property of ductility.
This is considered to be the capacity to undergo deformation
(generally under tension) without rupture.
Describe the mechanical property of toughness.
This is the ability to withstand bending or deflection, or absorb energy,
without fracture.
Define hardness of material
Resistance of plastic deformation and also resistance to abrasion or scratching
What are properties of the tensile tests? (4)
– Tensile strength, ductility, yield stress, toughness – Destructive, standard specimens – Slow & expensive -- One of the most valuable and commonly used of the mechanical tests for materials.
What are properties of the hardness tests (3)
– Simple numbers: scale
divisions or ratios
– Any specimen with a flat and smooth surface
– Quick and cheap
What is the loading method of the tensile tester?
mechanically or hydraulically
What are the three steps that occur in tensile testing? ***
- When a tensile load is applied to a metal specimen it stretches elastically up to the elastic limit. Following this, plastic strain occurs which is permanent in nature with the cross‐section of the metal steadily being reduced in size.
- Finally, the specimen will ‘neck’ down in one location and break soon afterwards.
- Load is measured by the force in newtons; Specimen extension measured by the change in the length ; Gauge length is the length of the specimen
What is the elastic region of a stress-strain curve? (2)
– in this region the stress is proportional to strain and the material will return to its original length when the load is released.
– Elastic limit, yield stress&proof stress, young’s modulus
What is the plastic region of the stress-strain curve? (4)
– The Plastic Region – in this region the linear relationship between stress and strain disappears, generally the rate of increase in stress falls away with respect to strain.
– Tensil strength, % elongation & % area reduction
– Region for strain hardening
– Region of necking
What is plastic deformation from an atomic perspective?
From an atomic perspective, plastic deformation corresponds to the breaking of bonds with original atom neighbours and then reforming bonds with new neighbours as large numbers of atoms or molecules move relative to one another, upon removal of the stress they do not return to their original position
What is plastic deformation in crystalline solids?
PD is accomplished by means of a process called slip, which involves the motion of dislocations
What is plastic deformation in non-crystalline solids?
PD occurs by viscous flow mechanism
What happens to materials in general due to plastic deformation? (2)
- Most structures are designed to ensure only elastic deformation willresult
- Materials experienced a permanent deformation may not be capable of functioning as intended.
What is proof stress?
Proof Stress (stress at the offset yield point), same parameter as yieldstress. This is the stress required to produce a specified permanent strain, usually 0.2% of the original gauge length.
What is tensile strength?
the maximum load sustained
What is percentage elongation?
Percentage elongation, a measure of the ductility of the material. A gauge length, (L0) usually 50 mm, is
marked on the specimen before testing. After failure, the ends are placed together and the new length (Lf)
is measured.
What is percentage reduction in area?
a more reliable measure of ductility for round bars. After testing, the minimum cross section at or near the fracture is measured.
What is young’s modulus?
may be calculated from the slope of the straight‐line part of the curve.
What does the difference between proof stress and T.S give?
The difference between the proof stress and the T.S. gives an indication of the amount of cold work that may be performed on the material. When the difference is small the metal will fail with little visual warning.
Why is the elastic limit and limit of proportionality seldom recorded?
• The elastic limit and limit of proportionality is seldom recorded as they are often difficult to measure accurately.
What is the yielding section of a stress and strain graph?
the stress level at which plastic deformation begins, or where the phenomenon of yielding occurs
What is the yielding section of a stress and strain graph like in mild steels and other materials?
In mild steels and other materials that show yield point phenomena there is a defined change in slope at the onset of plastic deformation. The elastic limit is coincident with the upper Y.P. ‐ this is the maximum stress up to which return to original length occurs. The yield strength, σy , is determined by the stress at the lower yield point.
What is the yielding section of a stress and strain graph like in ductile materials? (3)
In ductile materials, it is difficult to define the change in slope corresponding to the elastic limit. The point of yielding may be determined as the initial departure from linearity of the curve, this is called the proportional limit, at point P, representing the onset of plastic deformation on a microscopic level.
– The yield strength, σy , is determined using the 0.002 strain offset method.
– This point is found by drawing a line offset by 0.2% of the gauge length parallel to the line of proportionality. The yield strength, is the value of the stress point of intersection.
What is the index of hardness?
- The index of hardness is a manifestation of several related properties of a material, which may include a combined effect of yield points, tensile strength, ductility, work hardening characteristics and resistance to abrasion.
- Depending upon the manner by which the hardness index of a material is secured, different combinations of these properties are effective in influencing the hardness.
What are the 4 types of hardness of a metal or an alloy?
– Indentation hardness: the resistance offered by metals to indentation i.e. mainly measure of its plasticity and strength.
– Cutting hardness: resistance to various cutting operations.
– Abrasive hardness: resistance to wear when subjected to rotating or
sliding motion.
– Rebound hardness: resistance to strike and rebound, i.e.measure of its elastic properties. For example the Shore Scleroscrope.
What do you require in hardness testing?
Require: a penetrator of known geometry, a known load, and a flat surface
What do you need to provide in hardness testing? (2)
Provide a hardness number depending on the test, is expressed as:
– An arbitrary number which is inversely proportional to the depth of impression.
– A calculated number proportional to the mean load per area of the surface produced by the indentation.
What is hardness?
• Resistance to permanently indenting the surface.