JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIK

Department of Mechanical Engineering

LAPORAN MAKMAL
Laboratory Report

Sesi & Sem 2022/2023, Semester 2

Session & Sem

Kod & Nama Kursus KIG 1014, Mechanics of Materials

Course Code & Name

Tajuk Ujikaji Torsion Test

Title of Experiment

Nama Omar Abu Ghazaleh

Name

No. Kad Matrix s2158812

Matrix Number

Nombor Kumpulan G10-Occ1

Group Number

Demo Mohd Farhan

Demonstrator

Tarikh Ujikaji April 19th, 2023

Experiment Date

Tarikh Hantar May 09th, 2023

Submission Date
1. Introduction
Torsion testing is a common mechanical test used to evaluate the behaviour of materials
when subjected to twisting forces. The purpose of this experiment is to examine the torsional
properties of steel or brass using a solid cylindrical specimen. The test will continue until the
specimen fractures, allowing for the measurement of the angle of twist and applied torque at
that point.
Through the application of torsion, the material undergoes shear stress and shear strain. By
measuring the applied torque, it is possible to calculate these parameters, which provide
insight into the material's behaviour under torsional loading. The modulus of rigidity, or shear
modulus, is a measure of the material's resistance to deformation in response to a torsional
load.
The modulus of rigidity will be obtained from the plotted graph, which will show the
relationship between applied torque and the angle of twist. This experiment will provide
valuable information about the mechanical properties of the tested material and aid in its
characterization and selection for various engineering applications.
2. Objective
 Perform a torsion test on the tested materials until they fail, while measuring and
recording torque and angle of twist data.
 Use the torque and angle of twist data to determine the maximum shearing stress,
shear stress at proportional limit, and shear modulus or modulus of rigidity of the
materials.

3. Theory/background
Torsional loads can be produced by the propellers of aeroplanes or even by the twisting of
highway signs caused by the wind. When a body is loaded in a direction called torsion, a
section of the body will twist relative to a section that is adjacent to it. Torque can be defined
as a moment that has the tendency to twist a member around its longitudinal axis. When
members are subjected to torsion, shear strains developed in them. Transmission of power
from one location to another for example, is a common function performed by shafts in
engineering tasks. A torque of the magnitude T is applied to the shaft in the manner seen in
Figure 1, in which the shaft is held in place at one end and is free from the other. As a direct
consequence, shear forces arise, resulting in a deformation of the filaments.

Fig 1: Torque vs angle of twist

Formulas:
1- Modulus of rigidity formula
TL ∆T
 G= take k =
Jφ ∆φ
T = applied torque
L = length of the shaft
G = modulus of rigidity
φ = angle of twist within the tested lengt
T = applied torque
L = length of the shaft
G = modulus of rigidity
φ = angle of twist within the tested lengt
φ = angle of twist within tested length
T = applied torque
L = length of the shaft
G = modulus of rigidity

2- Shear stress formula

Tr
 τ=
J

τ = shear stress
r = radius of the shaft
J = polar moment of inertia of the shaft

3- Shear strain formula

rφ
 γ=
L

L = length of the shaft

Φ = angle of twist within tested length (in radians)
L = length of the shaft

4- Polar moment of inertia for solid circular shaft

4
πd
 J=
32
J = polar moment of inertia
d = diameter of solid circular shaft
4. Apparatus
5. Equipment used Fig 2: Torsion testing machine
1) Torsion testing machine - SM1 MkII
2) Vernier callipers
3) Torque meter
4) Torsion specimen – brass
5) Permanent pen

6. Procedures
1) Record the initial diameter, length, and gauge length of the specimen.
2) To track the amount of rotation during twisting, draw a line down the specimen's
length using a permanent marker.
3) If necessary, calibrate the testing apparatus; the procedure will be discussed later.
4) Securely mount the specimen onto the torsion testing machine using hexagonal
sockets and set the torque meter reading to zero.
5) Check to see that the specimens are securely mounted.
6) Twist the specimen at 0.5° strain increments until it fails, recording the torque and
angle of twist data in a table. They will be used to find the relationship between
torque and angle of twist.
7) Record the final diameter, length, and gauge length of the specimen.
8) Use the torque and angle of twist data to determine the relationship between shear
stress and shear strain, and calculate the maximum shear stress, shear stress at
proportional limit, and modulus of rigidity.
9) Examine, draw, and describe the characteristics of the fracture surfaces of the failed
specimens.
10) Discuss the results, data, and graphs obtained, and compare them with theoretical
predictions, if applicable.
11) Identify any faults or variances and talk about their potential reasons.
7. Calibration of the torsion test machine
1) Before conducting the torsion test, the testing machine needs to be calibrated as
follows:
2) Position the calibration arm onto the square end of the torque shaft and proceed to
level it by utilizing the handwheel. Calibrate the dial gauge to read zero.
3) Adjust the digital meter used for measuring torque to the International System of
Units (SI) and calibrate the display to read zero by rotating the knob located at the
back of the apparatus.
4) To calibrate the arm, affix a load of 5 kg and reset the dial gauge to zero through
rotation of the handwheel. The digital meter is expected to display a value of 24.5±
0.5 Nm. If the error is greater than 0.5 Nm, adjust the CAL screw at the rear of the
instrument to reset the reading to 24.5 Nm. (Note: the calibration arm has a length of
500 mm, the load is 5 kg, and the torque is calculated as 5 x 9.81 x 0.5 = 24.5 Nm).
5) Unload the arm and verify that the reading returns to zero.
6) Conduct full-range calibration by incrementally adding weights of 500 g, 1 kg, and 2
kg, recording the torque reading for each increment. Measurements must fall within a
tolerance range of ± 0.5 Nm in relation to the calculated values.
7) Plot a graph of the torque reading against the applied torque (0.5 x load x 9.81),
resulting in a linear relationship. Calculate the slope, it should be close to unity.

8. Results
Table 1: Initial measurements of brass specimen

Gauge Gauge Gauge Total/outer Gauge length

diameter from diameter from diameter at the length of of specimen
the right the center left specimen
6.02 mm 6.02 mm 6.02 mm 145.23 mm 81.64 mm

Table 2: Final measurements of brass specimen (after torsion test)

Gauge Gauge Gauge Total/outer Gauge length

diameter from diameter from diameter at the length of of specimen
the right the center left specimen
6.21 mm 6.04 mm 6.09 mm 34.59+111.54 = 81.74 mm
146.13 mm

Table 3: Experimentally collected and calculated data for brass specimen

Angle of twist Torque Strain Stress

Scale
Degree Torque Shear stress
reading (1
(revolution Radian meter Shear strain (Pa)
revolution =
x 6) (Nm)
6°)
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.5 3° 0.05 0.3 0.001034483 9431404.035
1 6° 0.11 0.75 0.002275862 17683882.57
1.5 9° 0.16 1.05 0.003310345 24757435.59
2 12° 0.21 1.25 0.004344828 29473137.61
2.5 15° 0.26 1.55 0.00537931 36546690.64
3 18° 0.31 1.65 0.006413793 38904541.64
3.5 21° 0.37 1.95 0.007655172 45978094.67
4 24° 0.42 2.05 0.008689655 48335945.68
4.5 27° 0.47 2.25 0.009724138 53051647.7
5 30° 0.52 2.35 0.010758621 55409498.71
6 36° 0.63 2.45 0.013034483 57767349.71
7 42° 0.73 2.65 0.015103448 62483051.73
8 48° 0.84 2.85 0.01737931 67198753.75
9 54° 0.94 2.95 0.019448276 69556604.76
10 60° 1.05 3.25 0.021724138 76630157.78
11 66° 1.15 3.35 0.023793103 78988008.79
12 72° 1.26 3.45 0.026068966 81345859.8
13 78° 1.36 3.55 0.028137931 83703710.81
14 84° 1.45 3.75 0.03 88419412.83
15 90° 1.57 3.85 0.032482759 90777263.84
17 102° 1.78 3.95 0.036827586 93135114.85
20 120° 2.09 4.2 0.043241379 99029742.37
23 138° 2.41 4.45 0.049862069 104924369.9
28 168° 2.93 4.85 0.06062069 114355773.9
33 198° 3.46 5.15 0.071586207 121429327
38 228° 3.98 5.4 0.082344828 127323954.5
43 258° 4.5 5.65 0.093103448 133218582
53 318° 5.55 6.2 0.114827586 146186762.5
63 378° 6.6 7.2 0.136551724 169765272.6
73 438° 7.65 7.6 0.158275862 179196676.7
83 498° 8.69 8.1 0.179793103 190985931.7
93 558° 9.74 8.55 0.201517241 201596261.2
103 618° 10.79 8.9 0.223241379 209848739.8
113 678° 11.83 9.25 0.244758621 218101218.3
123 738° 12.88 9.8 0.266482759 231069398.9
133 798° 13.93 10.25 0.288206897 241679728.4
143 858° 14.98 10.5 0.309931034 247574355.9
153 918° 16.02 10.8 0.331448276 254647908.9
161 966° 16.86 11.1 0.348827586 261721462
Table 4: Other values to be determined

Material Diameter Length J-Polar moment Modulus of

(m) (m) of inertia (m4) rigidity
(GPa)
Brass 0.006 0.145 1.27235 × 10−10 6.8

Calculations:

 Polar moment of inertia

4
πd
J= = π ¿ ¿ = 1.27235 x 10−10 m4
32

 Modulus of elasticity
L 4.2−.03 0.145
G=k =( )x( ¿ = 2.183GPa
J 2.09−0.05 1.27235× 10−10

 Percent erro, where G for brass is actually 3.5GPa

3.5GPa−2.183 GPa
x 100% = 37.6%
3.5 GPa

 Shear stress

Tr 0.3 x 0.003
τ= = −10 = 7.01 MPa
J 1.27 x 10

max shear stress that table gives:

Tr 16.86 x 0.003
τ= = −10 = 398.27 MPa
J 1.27 x 10

 Shear stress at proportional limit

It seems the elastic limit for brass occurs around 5 Nm of torque which yields-

Tr 5 x 0.003
τ= = −10 = 118 MPa or 0.118 GPa
J 1.27 x 10

Graph 1: Angle of twist vs Torque

 12

10

8
Torque (Nm)

6
Series2
4

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Angle of twsit

Graph 2: Shear strain vs shear stress

300000000

250000000

200000000
Shear stress (Pa)

150000000
Series2
100000000

50000000

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4
Shear strain

9. Discussion
We know angle of twist is proportional to torque. In the case of brass, it is a brittle material
and can regain its original shape if the torque is zeroed out, this is also called the elastic limit
of a material, found to be118 MPa. It is often found to be decently higher and closer to the
range of 270-370 MPa.
Similarly, there was a 37.6 % error in finding the value for the modulus of rigidity. The found
value was 2.183 GPa, whereas the actual value for brass is 3.5 Nm.
Errors can be due to many factors such as: environmental errors, procedural, experimental
errors, human errors, or instrumental errors. There could have been problems with the
machinery used. Instructions could have been followed incorrectly or dismissed. The brass
specimen might have not been the most suitable version of brass for this experiment.
The main aspect that can be controlled is human error. This can be overcome through
repetition. For example, instead of calculating the value for length and diameters once, find it
thrice, or even more to ensure accuracy. In case of working with others, let multiple people
attempt the same task to ensure elimination of individual error.
After understanding the concept of stress, rigidity, and how they’re used to find other values,
we can conclude that using a hollow bar is a better idea. This is because when it comes to the
polar moment of inertia, the higher it is the stronger the material’s resistance to torque.
10. Conclusion
In this laboratory experiment, a torsion test was conducted to evaluate the mechanical
properties of a solid cylindrical specimen made of brass. The experiment's goals were to
ascertain the tested material's maximum shear stress, shear stress at proportional limit, and
modulus rigidity. Through measuring the angle of twist and applied torque at failure, valuable
information about the material's torsional properties was obtained. The plotted graph
demonstrates the relationship between applied torque and the angle of twist, allowing for the
calculation of the modulus of rigidity. The failure specimens' fracture surfaces were
examined in order to learn more about the material's ductility and fracture behaviour. In
conclusion, this experiment gave us a great chance to characterise and comprehend the
torsional behaviour of materials, which is crucial for many engineering applications.
11. Appendix

Image 1: Brass specimen

Image 2: Torsion testing machine with brass specimen

 Image 3: Torque meter

Image 4: Measuring initial total length of brass specimen

Image 5: Brass specimen amidst torsion testing

Image 6: Brass specimen shortly before failure

 Image 7: Measuring gauge diameter after failure
11. References

 F. P. Beer, E.R. Johnston Jr, J.T. DeWolf, D.F. Mazurek. (2019). Mechanics of
Materials. 8th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education
 Barry J. Goodno, James M. Gere. Mechanics of Materials. 9th Edition. Cengage
Learning