Experiment 2 Bending Test

1.Objectives:

 Understanding the free-body diagrams FBD for bending and drawing the reactions;
moment diagram and shear diagram for simply supported beam.
 Calculation of bending stress and deflection caused by the load and calculation of the
moment of inertia of different cross-sections.
 Obtaining the Modulus of Elasticity from deflection formula.
 Understanding the concept of Neutral Axis N.A and Neutral Plane and distinguishing
between layers in compression and layers in tension in bending.
 Performing practical bending tests.

2.Introduction to bending test:

The stress-strain behavior of some materials is not usually ascertained by tensile tests. A more
suitable bending test is most frequently useful is some cases.

A bending test, also known as a bend test, is used to determine the strength of a material by
applying force to the item and seeing how it reacts under pressure. Typically the bend test measures
ductility, the ability of a material to change form under pressure and keep that form permanently.

When the length is considerably longer than the width and the thickness, the element is called a
beam. On the other hand, a shell is a structure of any geometric form where the length and the width are
of the same order of magnitude but the thickness of the structure is considerably smaller.

Cold bending is an excellent method of testing the ability of metals to withstand the effect of
serve distortion and tend to discover any objectionable qualities in metals such as brittleness and
lamination which may be caused during either the rolling or annealing process and for example failure of
steels in the cold bending test may be due to very high carbon or phosphorus content or to improper heat
treatment. Also the severity of the bend test is primarily function of the angle of bend and inside diameter
to which the specimen is bent and the cross section of the specimen ; all these conditions are varied
according to location and orientation of the test specimen and the chemical composition, tensile
properties, hardness, type and quality of the steel or metal.

There are two forms of internal stresses caused by lateral loads:

 Shear stress parallel to the lateral loading.

 Direct compressive stress in the upper region of the beam, and direct tensile stress in the lower
region of the beam.

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These last two forces form a couple or moment as they are equal in magnitude and opposite in
direction. This bending moment resists the sagging deformation characteristic of a beam
experiencing bending. The stress distribution in a beam can be predicted quite accurately even
when some simplifying assumptions are used.

The moment M of the couple is known as bending moment. Figure 2.2.1 shows the simply
supported beam loaded at the middle of the span. The Free Body Diagram (FBD ) with deflected
shape and deflection (δ) as well as the corresponding moment and shear diagrams and the cross
section are also presented .

The bending test here is performed by applying a load (P) at the midpoint of simply supported
beam with length (L). Strain gauge is located properly on the beam sides to determine the
deflection (δ) that occurs in the beam. As the load is increased gradually the deflection is
recorded to develop the load- deflection (P- δ) diagram from which we can determine E (The
modulus of elasticity). The amount of deflection (δ) occurs at the midpoint of the beam is
determined by following formula:

If the deflection within the elastic range is known then the Modulus of Elasticity can be obtained
from the above-mentioned formula as follow:

Where :

P: The load applied at the middle of beam, It is expressed in N .

L: The distance between supports, It is expressed in mm

I: The moment of inertia of cross section, It is expressed in mm 4

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Figure 2.2.1: FBD, Shear Force Diagram & Bending Moment Diagram

Moment of inertia:

 For rectangular cross section I = b h3/12, Where b is the width and h is the height.
 For square cross section I = a4 / 12, Where ‘a’ is the side length of the square.
 For circular cross section I= π D4 /64, Where D is the diameter of the circle.
 For triangular cross section I = b h3 /36, Where b is the base length and h is height of
triangle.

During bending test , the outer most upper layer fiber are exposed to compression
stresses and the length of the beam at that layer is decreased , While the lowest layer fiber are
exposed to tension stresses and the length of the beam at that layer is increased .

The stress in middle of the beam in the neutral axis (see figure 2.2.1) is equal to zero; because this layer
separates between the layers in compression, and layers in tension. The length of the beam remains the
same as before bending at the middle layer which is called the neutral plane through which the centroid
longitudinal axis of the beam passes and it is called the neutral axis (N.A).

The bending stress (σ b ) in the beam is determine from the flexure formula as follows:

𝑀= (Moment for a rectangular beam)

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Where

M : It is the bending moment.

Y: It is the distance from the Neutral Axis (N.A) to the point of stress. It is expressed in mm .

The moment is identical around the midpoint and begins from a value of zero at each support and reaches
the maximum value in middle forms a shape of triangle with equal legs as shown in figure 2.2.1

The maximum bending stress occurs at the top of the beam ( in compression ) :it holds a
negative sign , and in the bottom of the beam ( in tension ) ; it holds positive sign and each of
these stresses are located at distance y=h/2 mm from the neutral line and their value at the
middle of the beam length can obtained from flexure formula as follows :

3.Bending Machine:

In our experiment, the universal testing machine will be used. This bending machine uses an adjustable
feed to a fixed set of rollers, the specimen is fixed between the roller and a specific maximum load is
applied on it.

Figure 2.3.1: Universal Testing Machine

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 All practical tests for bending of different kinds of metal of different products and shapes
are to prove the ductility of the tested product, and their ability to bend around specified mandrel
or plunger for specified bending angle without cracks. First of all we will concern on the shape
of tested specimen ,the mandrel diameter about which it will be bent and the angle of bending
specified , the maximum applied load , deflection and whether crack occurs during the bending
process or not. Load – deflection curve is the major curve that is generated from bending test.

4.Equipements

Wp 310 Hydraulic Universal Material Tester 50 KN (UTM), caliper, metals Specimens, PC

Measurement Data Acquisition.

5.Procedure:
1. Select suitable material and apply the suitable Grips.
2. Measure the thickness of the specimen (the beam) using meter.
3. Place the beam on the beam support and into the testing machine so that a concentrated load
may be applied at the center of the span.
4. Adjust the supports into specific distance and measure this distance L.
5. Turn on the universal testing machine and select the maximum load on the testing machine.
6. Continue loading till the maximum load is reached.
7. Describe the load deflection curve.

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