CHAPTER 6:

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
• Stress and strain: What are they and why are
they used instead of load and deformation?
• Elastic behavior: When loads are small, how much
deformation occurs? What materials deform least?
• Plastic behavior: At what point do dislocations
cause permanent deformation? What materials are
most resistant to permanent deformation?
• Toughness and ductility: What are they and how
do we measure them?

Chapter 6- 1
 DUCTILITY
•Ductility is a measure of the degree of plastic
deformation that has been sustained at fracture.
L f − Lo
%EL = x100
• Plastic tensile strain at failure: Lo

Adapted from Fig. 6.13,

Callister 7e.

Ao − A f
• Another ductility measure: %AR = x100
Ao

Chapter 6- 19
 DUCTILITY

Knowledge of Ductility of materials important:

1. It indicates the degree to which a structure will

deform plastically before fracture.
2. It specifies the degree of allowable deformation
during fabrication.

Chapter 6-
 Different Materials @ RT

Ceramic/Glass
Stress (MPa)

Metal

Polymer

Strain Chapter 6-
Temperature Effect

Chapter 6-
 TOUGHNESS
• Energy to break a unit volume of material
• Approximated by the area under the stress-strain
curve.
Engineering smaller toughness (ceramics)
tensile larger toughness
stress,  (metals, PMCs)

smaller toughness-
unreinforced
polymers

Engineering tensile strain, 

Chapter 6- 20
 HARDENING
• An increase in y due to plastic deformation.

Metals – dislocation interaction

Chapter 6- 22
 HARDNESS
• Resistance to permanently indenting the surface.
• Large hardness means:
--resistance to plastic deformation or cracking in
compression.
--better wear properties.

Hardness Tests:
• They are simple and inexpensive
• The test is minimally destructive
• Other mechanical properties may be estimated
from hardness data

Chapter 6- 21
HARDNESS TESTS

Chapter 6-
 HARDNESS TESTS

1. Rockwell Hardness Test

2. Brinell Hardness Test
3. Vickers Microhardness
4. Knoop Microhardness

Chapter 6-
 Correlation between hardness and tensile test
TS (MPa) = 3.45 X HB
TS (psi) = 500 X HB

Both TS and hardness

are indicators of a
material’s resistance
to plastic deformation

Chapter 6-
 DESIGN and SAFETY FACTORS
• Design uncertainties mean we do not push the limit.
• Factor of safety, N Often N is
y between
 working = 1.2 and 4
N

• Ex: Calculate a diameter, d, to ensure that yield does

not occur in the 1045 carbon steel rod below. Use a
factor of safety of 5.
y
 working =
N

5
σ working = 62 MPa

Chapter 6- 23
 DESIGN and SAFETY FACTORS

220,000N
σ working = 62 MPa =  
σ working = 62 MPa  d2 / 4 
d = 67.2 mm  

What if we take, σ = 310 MPa

d = 30 mm (not safe!!!)

Chapter 6-
 SUMMARY
• Stress and strain: These are size-independent
measures of load and displacement, respectively.
• Elastic behavior: This reversible behavior often
shows a linear relation between stress and strain.
To minimize deformation, select a material with a
large elastic modulus (E or G).
• Plastic behavior: This permanent deformation
behavior occurs when the tensile (or compressive)
uniaxial stress reaches y.
• Toughness: The energy needed to break a unit
volume of material.
• Ductility: The plastic strain at failure.

Chapter 6- 24
 Load length strain Stress (Mpa) Stress (Pa)
0 50.8 0 0.00 0
7,330 50.851 0.0010039 56.96 56963452
6.29
15,100 50.902 0.0020079 117.35 1.17E+08
Ao= 0.000128679 m2
23,100 50.952 0.0029921 179.52 1.8E+08
30,400 51.003 0.0039961 236.25 2.36E+08 (a) Plot the data as engineering stress
34,400 51.054 0.005 267.33 2.67E+08 versus engineering strain.
38,400 51.308 0.01 298.42 2.98E+08 (b) Compute the modulus of elasticity.
41,300 51.816 0.02 320.95 3.21E+08
(c) Determine the yield strength at a
strain offset of 0.002.
44,800 52.832 0.04 348.15 3.48E+08
(d) Determine the tensile strength of
46,200 53.848 0.06 359.03 3.59E+08
this alloy.
47,300 54.864 0.08 367.58 3.68E+08
(e) What is the approximate ductility,
47,500 55.88 0.1 369.14 3.69E+08 in percent elongation?
46,100 56.896 0.12 358.26 3.58E+08
44,800 57.658 0.135 348.15 3.48E+08
42,600 58.42 0.15 331.06 3.31E+08
36,400 59.182 0.165 282.87 2.83E+08 Chart Title
StressMPa
400.00 400.00

350.00 350.00

300.00 300.00

250.00 250.00

200.00 200.00

150.00 150.00

100.00 100.00

50.00 50.00

0.00 0.00
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Chapter 6-