Tensile testing measures the stretching (tensile) force applied to a material and is used to investigate how a materials stretched (e.g. is it elastic or inelastic?).
Also, by knowing, the cross sectional area of the same, this allows stress (= force / area) v strain (change of length of the sample / original length of the sample) graphs to be drawn and properties of the materials, such as the Young’s Modulus, to be calculated.
We have a portable tensile tester at each of our partner universities which we can bring into schools, or to outreach events to help investigate the tensile properties of materials.
Examples of activities we have used the outreach tensile testers for include:
1) How the processing method affects the properties of a materials (by comparing injection moulded and extruded polypropylene.
2) How the speed of tensile testing affects how sweets break.
3) How the internal structure of a tensile test piece affects its properties (by using 3D printing pens to make dog bone shaped samples to test in the tester).
To find out more then please contact us.
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