Department of Civil Engineering

Papua New Guinea University of Technology

CE 102 – ENGINEERING MATERIALS

TENSILE TEST ON A STEEL SPECIMEN

(Practical Application #1)
Name: Tony Rande
ID# 15300199

INTRODUCTION
Basically material Testing is testing done to a specimen to determine the properties of materials
and how those properties are determined by materials compositions and its structure. There
are many different testing, tests are done are done to according to its purposes. On the 22 nd
July 2015 we did a tensile test on a steel specimen to determine its stress and strain
relationship. The purposes of our test are as follows.

OBJECTIVES
 To observe the stress strain relationship pattern for steel in tension.
 To observe the failure pattern for steel in tension.
 To determine the value of Young’s Module or Module of Elasticity.
 To determine the value of tensile strength or tensile stress.
 To determine the value of yield stress and Yield Strength.
 To determine value of Strain or the Elongation.

APPARATUS
1. Tors Universal Testing Machine (UTM)
2. Mechanical and Electronic Extensometer.
3. Vanier Clipper.
4. Steel rode as specimen

PROCEDURES
1. We measure the diameter of the specimen before the experiment using
Vanier clipper.
2. We placed the specimen into the grips, and we make sure that the threaded
ends of the grips threaded completely onto the pull rods.
3. We attached the extensometer securely to the specimen, and connect the
extensometer cable to the recorder.
 4. Then we estimated the proportional limit and the maximum load the
specimen may take and we select suitable range, according on the testing
machine and suitable load scale and deflection scale in the recorder.
5. We apply a small load to the specie men about 10kN.
6. We continuously apply the load slowly until the maximum load of the
recorder movement has been reached.( i.e. the maximum load has been
reached.
7. Now we remove the load and take the simultaneous reading of deformation.
Then we continue the load, finally the final fracture occurs and we record the
maximum load and breaking load.
8. Finally we remove the broken specimen from the machine .We observe the
location and character of the fracture. We again fit the broken parts together
and measure the final gage length.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Material: Iron rod, Gage length: Original 60mm, final: 71.66

Diameter: 11.80mm, Final: 6.75mm

The table below shows the data on the extensometer (deflection) and the loads.

Load Deflection Stress( F/A)Pa Strain(∆L/L)m

10kN 3.9 9.12X107 0.0650

20kN 5.41 1.83X108 0.0901

30kN 6.45 2.74X108 0.1075

40kN 7.24 3.66X108 0.1210

50kN 7.94 4.57X108 0.1320

60kN 8.71 5.49X108 0.1451

61kN* Elastic 8.89 5.58X108 0.1481

limit reached

68.9kN 8.99 6.30x108 0.1498

Maximum load
reached.
 The table above represents the loads and deflections of the specimen during the experiment and was
recorded during the experiment. The load applied was 10kN. The readings on the extensometer were
recorded at an interval of 10kN with respect to the load. The elastic limit was reached at 8.98mm; at
8.98mm elastic limit of the specimen was reached.

PRESENTATION OF RESUL

THE GRAHP OF LOAD VS EXTENSION

The Y-values which is 10kN intervals represents the loads and the x-values 100
intervals represent the deflections of the specimen. The specimen reached its elastic
limit at 69.9kN loads as shown on the graph above, the machine continues to apply
loads until the specimen break off. The graph having curves and not linear because of
the machine measuring the stress become slow as the load continue to apply to give
accurate reading as possible.

GENERAL DISCUSSION
Basically the testing was a new thing to us the student. We didn’t know what should be done
and the reports that we supposed to write. With excitement we have completed our tensile
testing with the help of the lab instructor. We learn so many things during the testing, things
such as loads and the type of materials and its properties and how much loads they can hold.
 CONCLUSION
Actually as my results shows above the experiment was successfully completed. As I do my
calculation. I found out that the stress and strain occur simultaneously. As the force increases
the stress also increase thus causing the strain to increase as well. . It was also observed that,
the stress determined was directly proportional to the strain but they vary inversely when the
yield point was reached.
Moreover, it was observed that the steel specimen extended when exposed to load and its
extension stops when it reached its yield point. The load applied and its extensions were used
to determine the stress, strain and Young's Modulus of the steel specimen. The elastic limit was
around 61KN and its maximum load was 68.9KN.Thus, by observing and determining the useful
properties of the steel specimen, it can be used properly in construction of any structures with
certain amount of load for stronger and safety sake.

CALCULATIONS

1. Tensile strength= maximum load/cross sectional area

68.9KN/1.09X10-4m2=1.168x107Pa

2. Yield Strength=Yield load/Original Cross sectional area

=61KN/1.09x10-4m2 =5.578x108Pa

3. Extension= A-B/B X100

0.07166-0.06/0.06 X 100 =18.6%

4. Fracture Strength= fracture load/Original Cross sectional area

=68.9KN/1.09X10-4m2

=6.32X108Pa

The data below are the rough data collected during the testing.