THREE POINT BENDING TEST

YEDTEPE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

YEDITEPE UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING FACULTY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

Three Point Bending Test

1. Objective: Introduce the students to the application of three point bending test. To measure the specimens mechanical properties by strain gage. 2. Equipment:

Instron 3382 100kN Universal Test Machine Associated Three point bending Flex fixture. Series IX Application Software for 3300 Series Load Frames PC data acquisition Strain Gage (120 , Gage Factor 2.01 1%) Wheatstone Brigde Digital Multimeter 3. Theory: The Flexural test measures the force required to bend a beam under 3 point loading conditions. The data is often used to select materials for parts that will support loads without flexing. Flexural modulus is used as an indication of a materials stiffness when flexed. Since the physical properties of many materials (especially thermoplastics) can vary depending on

ambient temperature it is som e, metimes app propriate to test materi ials at temp peratures th hat simulate the intended end use env d vironment.

3.1 Hoo oke's Law Fo most tens testing o materials, you will no or sile of , otice that in the initial p n portion of th he test, the relationship between th applied f p he force, or loa and the elongation the specime ad, en exhibits is linear. In this linear region, the line obeys the relationship defined as Hooke i d e's Law wh the ratio of stress to strain is a co here o onstant, or . E is th slope of t line in th he the his region wh stress ( is proport here ) tional to stra () and is called the ain s Modulus of Elasticity or f Young's Modulus s 3.2 Stra ain In the above simple exa n e ample, the w wire stretch vertically as a result of the forc hes y ce. Strain is defined as the ratio of increase in le t i ength to orig ginal length. Specificall when forc ly, ce d re, h s, is applied to the wir its length L increases while its cross-sectional area A decreases, as sketched: : al efined as : The axia strain is de

The dime ensions of str are unit i.e. strain is nondimen rain ty, nsional. train may be compressi or tensile and is typically m ive measured by strain gage es. St Fundame entally, all st train gages a designed to convert mechanical motion into an electron are d o nic signal. A change in capacitanc inductan n ce, nce, or resistance is proportional to the stra ain experienc by the sensor. If a wire is held under ten ced nsion, it get slightly l ts longer and i its crosssectional area i reduced. This change its resista is es ance (R) in proportion to the stra n ain sensitivity of the wi y ire's resista ance. When a strain is introduced the strain sensitivit d, ty, which is also called t gage fac (GF), is given by: the ctor

Th ideal stra gage wo he ain ould change resistance only due to the deform e o mations of th he surface to which the sensor is at o ttached. How wever, in real applicatio ons, tempera ature, materi ial properties, the adhes sive that bon the gag to the sur nds ge rface, and t stability of the met the y tal all affect the detecte resistance Because m materia do not ha the same properties in t ed e. most als ave e all direct tions, a know wledge of th axial stra alone is insufficient for a comp he ain t plete analysi is.

Poisson, bending, and torsional strains also need to be measured. Each requires a different strain gage arrangement. 3.3 Stress Stress is the internal resistance, or counterforce, of a material to the distorting effects of an external force or load. These counter forces tend to return the atoms to their normal positions. The total resistance developed is equal to the external load. This resistance is known as stress. 3.3.1 Bending In engineering mechanics, bending (also known as flexure) characterizes the behavior of a slender structural element subjected to an external load applied perpendicular to an axis of the element. When the length is considerably larger than the width and the thickness, the element is called a beam. Simple beam bending is often analyzed with the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation. The classic formula for determining the bending stress in a member is:

Where: is the bending stress M the moment about the neutral axis y the perpendicular distance to the neutral axis Ixx the area moment of inertia about the neutral axis x

3.3.2 Shear and Moment Diagrams : For the experimental setup, shear and moment diagrams can be plottes as below:

5. Procedure: Measure the dimensions of the specimen. Check the limit of the linear region of the aluminum beam (with no strain gage) Open the computer and Instron universal test machine and run the associated software. Prepare the wheatstone circuit and connect to the cables of strain gages to the defined slot in the previous experiment Straing Gage. Use the digital micrometer to take sample. It must take 10 samples per a second. Adjust the associated Instron program with displacement controlled experiment. Maximum allowed displacement of the specimen is 2mm. After 2 mm it is in plastic region. Also adjust the software to take 10 Force data per a second. Run the experiment.

6. Results and Conclusions: You are expected to get 2 different data after the experiment. The first one indicates the transverse forces applied to the beam and the corresponding vertical displacements. The second data reveals the voltage values. According to these data, calculate strain and use generalized Hookes Law to obtain the normal stresses along several points on the beam. Use Youngs Modulus as you calculated in the Tension Test Experiment. Calculate the normal stresses by simple beam theory. (You are expected to use Strength of Materials Knowledge) Compare these two values and plot them on the same diagram. Calculate the error of them.