Procedure
Here
is the graphical output from tensile testing of five materials: Perspex,
polypropylene, aluminium, brass and mild steel, along with the dimensions of
the specimen. No values are given on the x axis, for extension, to simplify
these questions. This is because the scales differ – except for aluminium and
mild steel where they are identical. The load in Newtons is given on the y
axis. Use the graphs to answer the
questions below.
Questions
1. Find the yield load for each specimen.
2. Find the maximum load for each
specimen.
3. Which has the larger Young modulus –
aluminium or mild steel?
Hints
1. The yield point is the point where the graph stops being
linear – i.e. it passes from the elastic region, where load is proportional to
extension, into the non-linear plastic region where additional load produces
increasingly larger extensions. Mark this and measure off the corresponding
load.
2. This is, literally, the maximum value of the load. Note that
the graph dips down after this before fracture actually occurs (at the end
point of the graph). This occurs because of the local narrowing, known as
necking, of the specimen on application of the maximum load. Since stress is
load divided by area, if the area is decreased, then so is the load required to
produce the same stress, which is already sufficient to break the specimen.
3. Think about the steepness of the
gradient.
Practical advice
The
chart speeds differ for each specimen, and this gives different scales on the x
axis. The graphs are not sensitive enough to allow accurate determination of
the Young modulus, so a comparison between aluminium and mild steel is asked
for instead.
Answers and worked solutions
1. Perspex 1260 N, polypropylene 970 N, aluminium 300 N, brass
1080 N, mild steel 2300 N.
2. Perspex 3070 N, polypropylene 1230 N, aluminium 1470 N,
brass 4100 N, mild steel 3440 N.
3. Steel – the gradient of the straight part of the line is
steeper and the Young modulus is the slope.
External references
This
activity is taken from Advancing Physics Chapter 4, 40S
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