AM2540

LAB REPORT

Experiment Code: H
(Part I)
Tension Test
Mechanical Behaviour of Mild
Steel.

Group 38
ME16B144
ME16B145
ME16B146
AIM
To demonstrate mechanical properties of mild steel, by subjecting it to tensile deformation.

APPARATUS
1. Universal Testing Machine(UTM)
2. Vernier callipers

INTRODUCTION
Steel is an important material used in majority of engineering applications. It is an alloy of
carbon and iron. Depending upon the percentage contents of carbon and iron, steel having various
different qualities can be obtained, e.g.more carbon content in steel increases its strength and
brittle nature, while iron content in steel is responsible for its ductility.

During tension test, a specimen of a given material, generally round bar, is subjected to
tensile deformation and from that force-deflection curve till failure is obtained, for that material. By
using this experimental data one can inspect about the mechanical strength of the material.

THEORY
Engineering stress(S):- In tensile bar, it is a measure of the intensity of the internal forces.
Mathematically it is given as the ratio of axial force to unit original area(ie. area of cross
section before deformation of the bar)
S= F/A0
Engineering strain(e):- It is a measure of deformation caused due to the subjected
load/stress. Mathematically it is given as the ratio of change in length to original length(ie.
the length before deformation)
e= l/l0
True stress():- It is given as axial force per unit current area(ie. final area after deformation)

= F/A= S*(1+e)

True strain ():- It is calculated using the instantaneous gauge length.

=dl/l= ln(l/l0)= ln(1+e)

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
1. Initially using Vernier calipers, measure the diameter of the round tensile rod at three
different positions and find its average diameter.
2. Also find the gauge length of the steel rod by using Vernier calipers.
3. Run the software used for recording the experimental data and create a new file to store the
data.
4. Now install the specimen in machine without subjecting it to large stress. Provide the
required information about the specimen to the program.
5. Now start the experiment, by slowly opening the hydraulic valve and thereby subjecting the
test rod to displacement. This displacement is obtained by the hydraulic pressure.
6. Observe the elongation of rod subjected to displacement. Eventually we observe the neck
formation and finally fracture in the process of loading.
7. Note down the critical points, for example, the load at which deformation starts localizing
(or formation of neck region), sudden change in linearity of graph etc.
8. Observe the features of the fractured surface.

OBSERVATIONS
Vernier Callipers:-
o Main Scale Least Count= 1mm
o Vernier Scale Least Count = 0.02mm

Ungrooved Steel bar

1. Pre-test data:

a. Length of uniform cross section, L0:

MSD=44,VSD=25

L0= (MSD x LC of Main Scale)+(VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)

L0= 44+(25 x 0.02)= 44.5mm

b. Diameter of the rod at three different places:

MSR= VSR= Total Reading=

Sr.No. MSD VSD MSD x Main VSD x Vernier MSR + VSR
scale LC scale LC mm
mm mm
1. 8 3 8 0.06 8.06
2. 8 0 8 0 8.00
3. 8 3 8 0.06 8.06

c. Average Diameter of the rod:

D= (D1+D2+D3)/3
D= (8.06+8+8.06)/3 = (8.04) mm

2. Post-failure data:
Failure load:

Final diameter:
MSD=4, VSD=45
D = (MSD x LC of Main Scale) + (VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)
D= 4+ (45 x 0.02)= 4.90mm

Final length of initially uniform CS rod:

MSD=60, VSD=45
L= (MSD x LC of Main Scale)+(VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)
 L = 60 + (45 x 0.02) = 60.9mm

Failure surface profile

 Graphs for Ungrooved Sample

**Load Value is measured in kN and Elongation in mm

3. The failure surface profile is of cup and cone shaped.

4. Inferences from graph:

a. Proportional limit, pl =377.787 MN/m2

b. Tangent modulus , Et =3.3307 GN/m2
c. Yield Strength of the material, y =415.6715 MN/m2
d. Ultimate Tensile strength, UTS =557.6199 MN/m2
e. Percentage elongation: Lf=60.9mm, L0=44.5mm
(Lf-L0)/L0x 100 = (60.9-44.5)\44.5 x100 =36.853%
f. Percentage area reduction: Af= 18.857mm2, A0=50.769mm2
(A0-Af)/A0x 100 =62.857%
 Grooved steel bar

1. Pre-test data:

a. Length of uniform cross section, L0:

MSD=44,VSD=30

L0= (MSD x LC of Main Scale) + (VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)

L0= 44+ (30 x 0.02) = 44.60mm

b. Diameter of the rod:

MSD=7, VSD=40
D= (MSD x LC of Main Scale) + (VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)
D=7 + (40 x 0.02)= 7.80

2. Post-failure data:
a. Failure load:

b. Final diameter:
MSD=6, VSD=4
D = (MSD x LC of Main Scale) + (VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)
D= 6+ (4 x 0.02) = 6.08mm

c. Final length of initially uniform CS rod:

MSD=56, VSD=19
L= (MSD x LC of Main Scale) + (VSD x LC of Vernier Scale)
L = 56 + (19 x 0.02) = 56.38mm

d. Failure surface profile:

Graphs for the Grooved Sample -

**Load Value is measured in kN and Elongation in mm

 3. Inferences from graph:
a. Proportional limit, pl =383.8138 MN/m2
b. Tangent modulus , Et =4.668 GN/m2
c. Yield Strength of the material, y =420.2391 MN/m2
d. Ultimate Tensile strength, UTS =572.163 MN/m2
e. Percentage elongation: : Lf=56.38mm, L0=44.60mm
(Lf-L0)/L0x 100 = (56.38-44.60)/44.60 x100= 26.412%
f. Percentage area reduction: Af = 29.033mm2,
A0=47.783mm2(A0-Af)/A0 x 100 = (47.783-29.033)/47.783 x100= 39.240%

INFERENCES:
1. The nature of strain-stress curve of mild steel bar is approximately a straight line with
finite slope. This slope gives the value of tangent modulus of mild steel material.
2. After the yield strength, there is a little drop that we find in the graph.
3. The value of stress increases non-linearly after the dip. It attains a maximum and then
again decreases after that, till material gets fractured.

DISCUSSION:
Steel is a popular structural material because it is versatile, durable, and affordable. For
different structural requirements different grades of steel can be used according to their
uses.
The errors which may happen in this experiment due to which the tangent modulus
deviates from ideal value are:
a. Application of the displacement non-uniformly.
b. The strain and stresses developed during the instalment of the workpiece.

The difference between the true stress and engineering stress is less than 5% for values

engineering strain less than 0.05.

 (Part II)
Failure Planes in Brittle and
Ductile Materials
AIM
To find the differences between the critical planes of brittle and ductile materials.

APPARATUS
Three chalk bars.

INTRODUCTION
Materials, depending upon their ability to absorb energy before fracture, can be classified as
brittle and ductile.

i. Brittle materials:
These materials when subjected to load behave elastically and when point
of fracture is reached, they breakdown without any significant permanent
deformation.
e.g. concrete, ceramics.
ii. Ductile materials:
These materials when subjected to load, initially they behave elastically upto
a certain point and after that they show extensive plastic deformation
before failure.
e .g. aluminium alloys, low carbon steel.

THEORY
Maximum Principle Stress theory:

This theory is applicable to brittle materials. It states that the material fails when the
maximum principle stress in the material reaches a critical value and the plane with
maximum tensile stress is predicted as the failure plane.

Maximum Shear Stress Failure theory:

The theory is applicable to ductile materials. It states that failure occurs when
maximum shear stress in the material reaches a critical value. The maximum shear
stress plane is predicted as failure plane.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
1. Take the chalk bars and subject them to axial, torsional and 3 point bend load.
2. Observe the failure planes, their shapes and their location along length of the chalk bars.

OBESERVATIONS

Sr. No. Type of Load Location of failure Angle between failure

plane and the length
axis
1. Axial Almost mid length 900
2. Torsional Almost mid length 450

INFERENCES
1. The failure of material depends upon the response of material to the load to which it is
subjected to, which in turn, is dependent on whether the given material is brittle or ductile.
2. Ductile materials undergo a considerable amount of plastic deformation when compared
with brittle materials.
3. The failure surface profile also depends upon the type of load to which the material is
subjected to. The different types of load may be axial, torsional etc.

DUSCUSSION
The striking difference between the failure planes of mild steel and chalk bar is that in mild
steel there is formation of neck region at the failure plane while that is not the case for chalk bar.

Fracture in torsion for ductile materials generally occur in the plane of maximum shear stress
perpendicular to the axis of bar where as for the brittle material failure occurs along 45 helix to the
axis of bar due to tensile stress across that plane.