Activity No.

TENSILE STRENGTH OF MATERIALS

INTRODUCTION

One material property that is widely used and recognized is the strength of a material.
Tensile testing is one of the simplest and most widely used mechanical tests of materials. By
measuring the force required to elongate a specimen to breaking point, material properties can be
determined that will allow designers and quality managers to predict how materials and products
will behave in application.

Tensile strength also known as mechanical behavior of materials is a measurement of

force required to pull something such as rope, wire or a structural beam to the point where it
breaks. The tensile strength of a material is the maximum amount of tensile stress that it can take
before failure, for example breaking.

Tensile stress is the stress state caused by an applied load that tends to elongate the
material in the axis of the applied load, or in other words the stress caused by pilling the
material. The strength of structures of equal cross-sectional area loaded in tension is independent
of the shape of the cross section.

Tensile strength is the stress at which a force applied causes the material to lengthen
then break. For an axially load material the breaking strength in tension is
s = P/a
where s is the breaking strength;
P is the force that can cause it to break; and
a is the cross sectional area.

In a plastic material, such as propylene wrapping sheet, giant molecules or polymers are
entangled with each other in a random fashion. When we hang a weight on such a sheet, we exert
a stress and as a consequence the sheet will elongate slightly. During elongation, the giant
molecules align themselves among the stress applied.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this activity, the students can:

1. define operationally tensile strength;

2. measure the distance for the elongation of the plastic and rubber band; and
3. calculate the tensile strength of the materials.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

Polypropylene sheet; 10 x 2 cm strips Paper clips

 Rubber bands; 3 mm wide x 90 mm long Thermometer
Ruler/meter stick Heat gun / igniter
Bulldog clips Set of weights

PROCEDURE

A.
1. Take a 10 x 2 cm strip of polypropylene sheet.
2. Make two marks 5.0 cm apart with a marker pen in the middle of the strip.
3. Fold about 5 mm of the sheet at one end and place it in a bulldog clip. Make sure the clip
holds the strip firmly.
4. Repeat the procedure at the other end of the strip with another bulldog clip.
With the paper clip unfolded into an “S” hook, hang the strip assembly on a ring stand.
5. Measure the distance between the two marks with a ruler and record it to the nearest mm.
6. With the aid of another paper clip unfolded into an “S” hook, hang a weight of
approximately 100g on the bottom of the strip.
7. Wait for a few minutes to allow the elongation to stop.
8. Measure the distance between the two marks to the nearest mm and record it on your
report sheet.
9. Add another 100g weight on the bottom of the strip and wait for a few minutes to allow
the elongation to stop.
10. Measure the distance between the marks and record it on your answer sheet.
11. Repeat procedures 9-10 by adding more weights until the polypropylene strip breaks.
12. Record the total amount of load needed to break the propylene strips.

Figure 1. Assembly of elongated propylene sheet

B.
1. Take the rubber band that is 3 mm wide and approximately 90 mm long.
2. With the aid of two unfolded paper clips (made into “S” hooks), hang it on a ring stand.
3. Read the length of the rubber band (the distance between the two paper clips) with a ruler
and record it to the nearest mm on your answer sheet.
4. Hang a weight of approximately 100 g on the lower paper clip and allow the rubber bond
to elongate.
5. Measure the length of the rubber band under the load and record it to the nearest mm on
your answer sheet.
6. Add another 100g weight on the bottom of the rubber band and wait for a few minutes to
allow the elongation to stop.
7. Measure the distance between the marks and record it on your answer sheet.
8. Repeat procedures 6-7 by adding more weights until the rubber band breaks.
9. Record the total amount of load needed to break the rubber band.