“Mechanical Properties”

September 2016
 Mechanical Properties

 Stress/Pressure: it is defined as applied force (P) per unit

cross sectional area (A) of the sample and normally
measured as kN/m2 or N/mm2.
Stress = Applied Load/Cross-sectional Area
 Strength: it is defined as the ability to resist failure or
excessive plastic deformation under stress. Tension for
some materials are as follows: -
 Mechanical Properties
 Compressive force: a ‘pressing’
force tending to cause a
member to shorten.
 Tensile force: a ‘pulling’ force
tending to cause a member to
lengthen.
 Mechanical Properties
 Elasticity: it is the property of a
material that enables it to
return to its original shape and
size, after undergoing
deformation as a result of the
application of a stress.
 Plasticity: it is the property of a
material that allows it to be
deformed without the ability to
return to its original shape and
size.
 Strain
 Strain: It is defined as the ratio of change in length
to the original length of the member.

 If a 1000mm rod under load

extends by 2mm, then
it experiences a strain of
???.
 Hooke’s Law
 Hooke’s Law – For an elastic material, the change in
length is directly proportional to the applied force provided
that the material is in the elastic state.
 Young’s Modulus
 Young’s Modulus (E): E-value is a constant for a given material and is
a measure of how stiff a material is. It is defined as the ratio of tensile
(or compressive) stress to tensile (or compressive) strain.
E-value = Stress/Strain

 The greater the value of E, the more difficult it is to cause shortening

or lengthening of the material, i.e. strong material

 The E-value is important to tell us the strength

of the material. Rubber deforms easily and
has a very low E-value. Steel has a very
high E-value and does not deform easily.
Stress-Strain Test
 Stress-Strain Test

 The process of stress-strain test

 Stress-Strain Relationship

 In the elastic deformation zone

 The specimen will return to original shape after the force is
removed.
 The formula (the Hooke’s law)
se = Ee
where E = modulus of elasticity or Young’s modulus

 In plastic deformation zone

 The specimen will not return to the original shape after the force is
removed.
 Necking is when localized material deformation occurs.
Stress-Strain Behaviour of Materials
 Other Terminologies

 Factor of safety: it is defined as the

ratio between the yield stress and the
allowable or working stress.
Safety Factor = Yield Stress/Allowable Stress
 The allowable stress shall be less
than yield stress
 The safety factor is usually between
1 and 2.
 Other Terminologies
 Poisson’s ratio: When a body is subjected to an axial stress (tensile or
compressive), deformation takes place not only in the axial direction but
also in other directions perpendicular to the axis. The ratio of lateral
strain to axial strain is called Poisson’s ratio.
 For most substances, its value lies between 0.2 and 0.4.
 Other Terminologies

 Toughness: it is the ability of a material to withstand shock

loads.
 Ductility: it is the ability of a material to undergo
considerable amount of plastic deformation before fracture.
 Brittleness: A brittle material will break without noticeable
plastic deformation.
 Other Terminologies

 Malleability: it is the ability of a material to undergo deformation in all

directions, usually cold deformation by hammering.
 Other Terminologies

 Hardness: it is resistance to surface deformation under

stress.
 Other Terminologies

 Fatigue: it is long-term failure due to

repetitive loading. Failures may occur even
when the maximum stress is less than the
ultimate tensile stress of the material.
 Creep: it can be defined as the continuing
deformation of a material with the passage of
time when the material is subject to a constant
stress. Creep is often quite significant for
plastics but negligible for metals
End