Draft document, Copyright R. Hertzberg, R. Vinci, J. Hertzberg 2009
CHAPTER 1
Review
1.1 In your own words, what are two differences between product testing and material
testing?
Possible answers include: (a) The goal of the two procedures is different. Whereas product
testing is design to determine the lifetime of a component under conditions that mimic real-
world use, material testing is intended to extract fundamental material properties that are
independent of the material’s use. (b) The specimen shape is different. Product testing must
use the material in the shape in which it will be used in the real product. Material testing uses
idealized specimen shapes designed to unambiguously determine one or more properties of
the material with the simplest analysis possible.
1.2 What are the distinguishing differences between elasticity, plasticity, and fracture?
Elasticity involves only deformation that is fully reversible when the applied load is removed
(even if it takes time to occur). Plasticity is permanent shape change without cracking, even
when no load exists. Fracture inherently involves breaking of bonds and the creation of new
surfaces. Often two or more of these processes take place simultaneously, but the contribution
of each can be separated from the others.
1.3 Write the definitions for engineering stress, true stress, engineering strain, and true
strain for loading along a single axis.
load P
eng engineering stress (1-1a)
initial cross-sectional area A0
load P
true true stress (1-2a)
instantaneous cross-sectional area Ai
change in length l f l0
eng engineering strain (1-1b)
initial length l0
final length lf
true true strain ln ln (1-2b)
initial length l0
1.4 Under what conditions is Eq. 1-4 valid? What makes it no longer useful if those
conditions are not met?
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P
true (l / l ) eng (li / l0 ) eng (1 eng ) (1-4)
A0 i 0
This expression is true when volume is conserved. However, it is only useful if the cross-
sectional area is the same everyone on the test specimen. If this isn’t the case then the stress
and strain will vary from one part of the specimen to another.
1.5 Sketch Figure 1.3, curve ‘b’ (a ductile metal). Label it with the following terms,
indicating from which location on the curve each quantity can be identified or
extracted: elastic region, elastic-plastic region, proportional limit, tensile strength, onset
of necking, fracture stress.
onset of necking
tensile strength
fracture stress
proportional limit
elastic-plastic region
elastic region
stress
strain
1.6 On a single set of axes, sketch approximate atomic force vs. atom-separation curves like
the one shown in Fig. 1.4b for tungsten at temperatures of 200, 600, and 1000 K. Pay
close attention to the point x0 and the slope dF/dx for each of the curves you draw.
The key features of the plot are the increasing x0 spacing with increasing temperature (i.e.,
with thermal expansion) and the decreasing slope associated with decreased elastic modulus.
The plot is exaggerated but the trends are reasonable.
F
dF
dx
200 K
600 K
1000 K
x
x0 (1000 K)
x0 (600 K)
x0 (200 K)
Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional
purposes only to students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of
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1.7 State the critical difference in the processing behavior of thermoplastics vs. thermosets.
Thermoplastics can be melted and resolidified multiple times, so processing often involves
several heating, forming, and cooling steps. Thermosets harden by a one-time chemical
reaction so there cannot be any additional forming operations after the cross-linking
operation takes place.
1.8 What happens to the stiffness of a polymer as the temperature Tg is exceeded? For what
group of polymers is this change the greatest? The smallest?
The stiffness of a polymer decreases above the glass transition temperature, sometimes
dramatically. The effect is the largest for amorphous, uncross-linked polymers. It is the
smallest for highly cross-linked polymers (such as certain epoxies).
1.9 Write typical values of E for diamond, steel, aluminum, silicate glass, polystyrene, and
silicone rubber subjected to small strains (note that the latter value is not included in
this chapter, but is widely available). Clearly indicate the units for each value.
The following values are not intended to represent any particular processing method or alloy
composition; they are rounded average values for certain material families.
Diamond ~ 1000 GPa
Steel ~ 200 GPa
Aluminum ~ 70 GPa
Silicate glass ~ 70 GPa
Polystyrene ~ 3 GPa
Silicone rubber ~ 10 MPa (0.010 GPa)
1.10 What is the purpose of a plasticizer, and what specific effect on room temperature
behavior is likely when a plasticizer is added?
A plasticizer is added to a polymer to break up the molecular interactions, allowing more
chain mobility than would otherwise be possible for that particular polymer at the
temperature of interest. At room temperature, therefore, the polymer is more likely to have a
low elastic modulus (i.e., a ordinarily-hard polymer may become flexible).
1.11 Identify a minimum of two structural characteristics and two mechanical characteristics
that set elastomers apart from other classes of materials (including other polymers).
Elastomers are amorphous and moderately cross-linked. They tend to display significant
changes in stiffness as their use temperate exceeds Tg, but they do not melt at even higher
temperature.
1.12 Define what is meant by uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial loading.
Uniaxial loading occurs along a single direction, biaxial along two directions, and triaxial
along three. Note that there may be multiaxial strains even when the loading is restricted to
one or two directions.
1.13 State one advantage and disadvantage of compression testing.
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