Complete Experiments: Materials
Capstone 'EX' experiments include all the apparatus, sensors (when needed), manuals, and PASCO Capstone files you'll need in your student physics lab. For your convenience, we've listed all the downloadable files for each experiment below.
Grade Level: College
Subject: Engineering
Activities
01) Tensile Testing Metals
The three metal tensile samples are made from 1018 Steel, 360 Brass and 2024-T3 Aluminum. The properties measured for these samples include Young’s Modulus, Yield Strength, Tensile Strength, Ductility, and Modulus of Toughness. These properties are the same ones found in materials handbooks and databases, and are used by engineers to design bridges, buildings, and machines.
02) Column Buckling and Slenderness Ratio
Three different length plastic I-beams are tested under compression to investigate their method of failure. The way in which a member fails (buckling or not) is determined by its Slenderness Ratio, and this ratio is calculated for each beam. Topics covered also include the Radius of Gyration and the Area Moment of Inertia.
03) Column Buckling and the Euler Column Equation
The Euler Column Equation predicts the maximum compressional force applied to a column before it buckles. This value depends on the length of the column, its Area Moment of Inertia, and Young's Modulus for the material.
04) Three-Point Bending
A Three-Point Bend test is performed on a round rod as shown in Figure 1. As a downward force (F) is applied in the middle of the rod, the flex (Δx) is recorded. The ratio (F/Δx) is the effective stiffness of the length of rod being tested. The distance between the anvils is varied, and the resulting effect on the stiffness of the beam is measured. A graph of the resulting data yields the Flexural Elastic Modulus for the material.
05) Four-Point Bending
A Four-Point Bend Test is performed on plastic beams as shown in Figure 1. As a downward force (F) is applied in the middle of the beam, the flex (Δx) is recorded. The ratio (F/Δx) is the effective stiffness of the length of beam being tested, and is measured directly from the slope of the F vs. Δx graph. The Flexural Elastic Modulus for the material is then calculated.
