ME 354 MECHANICS OF MATERIALS LABORATORY

NAME DATE

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND PERFORMANCE OF MATERIALS:

PURPOSE
The purpose of this exercise is to obtain a number of experimental results important for
the characterization of the mechanical behavior of materials. The Charpy V-notch impact is a
mechanical test for determining qualitative results for material properties and performance which
are useful in engineering design, analysis of structures, and materials development.
EQUIPMENT
Charpy V-notch test specimens of 6061-T6 aluminum and 1018 (hot rolled) or A36 steel
Charpy testing machine with 800-mm long pendulum arm and 22.6-kg impact head
Type K thermocouple and digital readout unit
Beakers of room-temperature water, warm water and boiling water
Beakers of plain iced water
Cryo-beakers of salted iced water and super cold liquids
PROCEDURE
CAUTION: When using the Charpy testing machine, stand well clear of the swinging area of the
pendulum both when the arm is cocked and for some time after the arm is released for a test while
it is still swinging. Serious injury will result from a swinging pendulum arm.
For each material repeat the following steps
Designate a person as the "operator" of the Charpy test machine: all other persons must stand
clear during testing
Designate a person as the "monitor and recorder" of temperatures and impact energies
Designate a person as the "test specimen loader" who will remove test specimens from the
liquid bath, quickly placing them on the test fixture of the Charpy testing machine
Designate a person as the "test specimen retriever" who will retrieve the broken halves of the
test specimens, will bind the halves together and will mark the test temperature on each pair of
specimen halves for later examination and inspection. Use the following procedure to conduct
tests in the order shown after exposure to the preconditions to give the approximate test
temperatures indicated:
Room temperature water (20 to 25C)
Warm water (50-60 C)
Boiling water (95-100C)
Ice water (0 to 4C)
Salted ice water (-15 to -18C)
Acetone with some dry ice (-50 to -57C)
Acetone with much dry ice (-80 to -85C)
Place the thermocouple probe in the appropriate liquid being sure to allow both the test
specimens and the thermocouple to equilibrate for at least five minutes prior to testing.
Record the indicated temperature
 "Cock" the pendulum by activating the "raise" mechanism and stand clear while the pendulum is
held in the "cocked" position.
Using the tongs, quickly remove the test specimen from the bath and place it on the test fixture
with the notch opening facing away from the direction of the cocked pendulum
Stand clear
Release the pendulum
Secure the pendulum in its rest position (i.e., hanging vertically) and retrieve the fractured
specimen halves.
Record the impact energy (read directly from the dial on the Charpy testing machine)
Repeat these steps for the each temperature and each material.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Static or quasi-static properties and performance of materials are very much a function of
the processing of the material (heat treatments, cold working, etc.) in addition to design and
service factors such as stress raisers and cracks. The behaviour of materials is also dependent on
the rate at which the force is applied. For example, a polycarbonate tensile specimen which might
show a relatively low yield point but up to 200% elongation at a low loading rate may show a
much greater yield point but at only 5% elongation at an order of magnitude faster loading rate.
Low carbon steels, such as 1018, may show considerable increases in yield strength and work
hardening at high strain rates.
In quasi-static tests, the amount of energy required to deform a material is determined
from the area under the tensile stress-strain curve and is know as the modulus of toughness.
Under dynamic loading, stress-strain response is typically not recorded. Instead, the transfer of
energy from a device such as a drop weight or a swinging specimen to the deforming or breaking
specimen is equated to the "impact energy." The Charpy impact test uses a standard Charpy
impact machine to evaluate this impact energy. The machine consists of a rigid specimen holder
and a swinging pendulum hammer for striking the impact blow to a v-notched specimen as shown
in Figs. 1 and 2. Unfortunately, while the test, including machine and specimen geometry, has
been standardized, the test results do not provide definitive information about material properties
and thus are not directly applicable to design (as for example might be a yield strength); however,
the test is useful for comparing variations in the metallurgical structure of materials and in
determining environmental effects, such as temperature on the dynamic response of the material.
One of the most dramatic results of Charpy impact tests is in the form of plots of impact energy
versus temperature in which sigmoidally-shaped curves (see Fig. 3) show substantial decreases in
some materials' abilities to absorb energy below a certain transition temperature. This ductile to
brittle transition is most apparent in materials with BCC and HCP crystalline structures as for
example in steels and titanium. A classic and dramatic example of this ductile to brittle behaviour
is the low carbon steel Victory ships of WWII cracking in half under even the mild conditions of
sitting at anchor in a harbor. Materials with FCC structures (e.g., aluminum and copper) have
many slip systems and are more resistant to brittle fracture at low temperatures.
In this laboratory exercise the primary outcome will be plots of impact energy versus
temperature for two materials (FCC-606-T6 aluminum and BCC-1018 steel). Note the effects of
temperature and material type on the levels and shapes of the curves. Examine the fracture
surfaces of specimens and compare the type and degree of deformation to the impact energy and
the corresponding temperature. Consider not only the type of material, but also the effect of
notches and temperature in making design decisions.
 REFERENCE:
Annual Book or ASTM Standards, American Society for Testing and Materials, Vol. 3.01
E23 Standard Test Methods for Notched Bar Impact Testing of Metallic Materials

Figure 1. Schematic of Charpy Impact Testing and Izod and Charpy V-notch specimens

Figure 2 Charpy V-notch specimen used in this laboratory showing dimensions

Figure 3. Schematic of plot of impact energy versus temperature showing sigmoidal curve
 DATA
1) Fill in the following table.

Table 1.
Impact Energy (J)
Temperature (Celsius) Aluminum (6061-T6) Steel (1018-HR or A36)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

2) Plot the impact energy versus temperature for each material on the same graph.

Figure 1.

3) Compare the impact results for each metal. Comment of differences and similarities.

4) Examine the type and degree of deformation of each fracture surface. Correlate this
information with the corresponding impact energies. Comment on the correlations.