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Tension test

WHAT IS TENSILE TESTING?

Tensile Testing, also known as tension testing, is a

destructive engineering and materials science test whereby
controlled tension is applied to a sample either as a load for
proof testing or until it fully fails.

This is one of the most common mechanical testing

techniques. It is used to find out how strong a material is
and also how much it can be stretched before it breaks.
This test method is used to determine yield strength,
ultimate tensile strength, ductility, strain hardening
characteristics, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio.

Test Properties

Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS)

The UTS is the maximum stress that a specimen is

exposed to during testing. This may differ from the
specimen's strength when breaking depending on if it is
brittle, ductile or has properties of both. These material
properties can change depending on environment, for
example in extreme hot or cold conditions.

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Hooke's Law
Hooke's Law​ defines the relationship between the applied
force and the elongation shown in the test specimen where
the ratio of stress to strain is constant

Modulus of Elasticity

The modulus of elasticity measures the stiffness of a

specimen whereby the material will return to its original
condition once the load has been removed. Once the
material has been stretched to the point where it no longer
returns to its original length and permanent deformation is
shown, Hooke's Law no longer applies. This is known as
the elastic or proportonal limit.

Yield Strength
The yield strength is the point at which plastic deformation
occurs under stress. This is determined during testing over
a measured gauge length via the use of devices known as
extensometers. The devices may be either be mechanical
clip on or video where non-contact is a limitation, e.g.
elevated temperature testing.

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Offset Method
The Offset Method is used on materials where the tensile
properties make the yield strength difficult to determine,
such as with metals or plastics.

Alternate Moduli
In materials that do not have a well-defined linear region,
alternative methods are used to determine the modulus,
including secant modulus and tangent modulus

Strain
The strain of a specimen is the measurement of the change
in length that the item undergoes during testing divided by
the original gauge length. Known as Engineering strain or
nominal strain.

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Tensile Specimen Preparation
Tensile test specimens are prepared in a variety of ways
depending on the test specifications. The most commonly
used specifications are BS EN ISO 6892-1 and ASTM E8M.
Most specimens use either a round or square standard
cross section with two shoulders and a reduced section
gauge length in between. The shoulders allow the
specimen to be gripped while the gauge length shows the
deformation and failure in the elastic region as it is
stretched under load. The reduced cross section gauge
length of specific dimensions assists with accurate
calculation of engineering stress via load over area
calculation.

Why is Tensile Testing Performed?

Tensile testing provides details of the tensile mechanical
properties of a material. These properties can be plotted on
a graph as a stress/ strain curve to show details such as the
point at which the material failed as well as providing details
of properties such as the modulus of elasticity, strain and
yield strength.

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Tensile testing has a variety of uses, including:
● Selecting materials for an application

● Predicting how a material will perform under different

forces

● Determining whether the requirements of a

specification, contract or standard are met

● Demonstrating proof of concept for a new product

● Proving characteristics for a proposed patent

● Providing standard quality assurance data for scientific

and engineering functions

● Comparing technical data for different material options

● Material testing to provide evidence for use in legal

proceedings

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What are the Advantages of using Tensile Testing?

Flaws in equipment can prove costly and dangerous to the

manufacturer and end user of a product. Tensile testing can
greatly reduce this danger by determining the engineering
stress and other properties of a material or part.

Tensile testing also gives designers and manufacturers

data on new materials and their properties so they can
determine qualities for future use.