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CVE 230 Mechanics of Materials

Spring 2012 Lab Report #4 Prepared By: Christopher Caldern

Torsion Testing
April 2, 2012

The relationships between load and the angle of twist, compared to shear stress and strain are demonstrated in the data from this experiment based on the submission of a rubber tube to a torsion test consisting of increasing loads. The purpose of this investigation was to plot the shear stress-strain curve for rubber in order to then show their relationship and to obtain the modulus of rigidity for rubber. In this experiment, the experimental value of the modulus of rigidity was compared to the theoretical value found in literature. The results in this experiment failed to prove the ability of estimating the value of the modulus of rigidity accurately with an approximate graph in order to obtain the same/similar given value from literature. But the results do in fact show how the shear stress and strain are positively correlated due to the positively correlated relationship between the load applied to an object and its angle of twist.

LAB REPORT #4
Torsion Testing
Introduction: Rubber can be made naturally or through synthetic processes, approximately 40 percent is made naturally from rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis). The majority of this material is used to make rubber tubes and tires, the rest of it can be made to make consumer goods such as boots and gloves. Rubber is a material that is both highly elastic and waterproof. In this experiment, the value of rubbers modulus of rigidity will be attempted to be estimated. The modulus of rigidity, or the shear modulus, is the degree of elasticity a material displays under shear stress. This is important to many engineering applications due to it representing how much the material will yield under a given load.

Materials and Methods: Materials used in this experiment include a rubber tube and a torsion testing apparatus, along with an assortment of weights. The length of the rubber tube, the inside radius, and the outside radius were measured prior to submitting the rubber tube to a torsion test. The torsion test consisted of increasing amounts of loads applied at regular intervals. For every load, the torsion and corresponding angle of twist were both calculated and recorded (units for torsion were in pounds per inch and the units for the angle of twist were in radians). The polar moment of the rubber tube was determined by using its relationship with the outside and inside radii and the torsion was determined by using its relationship with the applied load and the outside radius. The polar moment and the angle of twist were then used in order to calculate shear stress and strain and results were used to plot a graph of shear stress versus shear strain. The plot was then used in order to determine the modulus of rigidity.

Results and Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to plot the shear stress-shear strain curves for rubber in order to then use it to calculate the modulus of rigidity of rubber. The relationship the data demonstrates for load and the angle of twist is that of a positive correlation, the more load is applied to an object, the larger the resulting angle of twist will be. Therefore, the increasing stress that exists as the applied force increases is related positively with the strain of the material because of its increasing angle. This relationship is supported by the data that has been collected from the torsion tests.

C. Calderon

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LAB REPORT #4
Torsion Testing
Based solely on this investigation, the modulus of rigidity for the rubber is approximately 19600 pounds per square inch. This value was obtained by selecting the first linear portion of the shear stress versus strain graph and finding the average slope of the linear portion selected.

Information Recorded Prior to Torsion Test


Length Inside Radius Outside Radius Moment of Inertia 15 in 0.375 in 0.626 in 0.2102 in

Results of Torsion Test


Load (lbs) 4.060 10.060 14.060 16.060 18.098 19.128 Angle (degrees) 93 95 97.5 101 105 106 Torsion (lb-in) 6.4856 16.0703 22.4601 25.6550 28.9105 30.5559 Shear Stress (psi) 19.315 47.859 66.889 76.403 86.099 90.999 Shear Strain (Rad) 0.06774 0.06920 0.07102 0.07357 0.07648 0.07721

Shear Stress vs. Strain


100.000 90.000 80.000 70.000 60.000 50.000 40.000 30.000 20.000 10.000 0.000 0.00219 0.00364 0.00546 0.00801 0.01093 0.01165

Shear Stress (psi)

Shear Strain (Rad)

C. Calderon

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LAB REPORT #4
Torsion Testing
Conclusion: The torsion test conducted on the rubber tube was the focal point of this experiment. The results from this test were meant to demonstrate the relationship that exists between the shear stress and strain of an object, to prove the ability of estimating the modulus of rigidity of a material just as the modulus of elasticity was calculated in prior experiments, and to show the accuracy of torsion testing with respect to demonstrating the abilities of a certain material. The theoretical value for the modulus of rigidity for rubber, from literature, is between 30 and 200 pounds per square inch. This can be compared to the value obtained from this experiment in order to determine the accuracy of the overall torsion test. The experimental value was 19600 pounds per square inch. This indicates that the modulus of rigidity obtained from this investigation is far from the ideal range which was expected to be somewhat close. This demonstrates that the calculations failed to show the ability of taking the information from an approximated graph and estimating the modulus of rigidity accurately.

C. Calderon

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