ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS

WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

1. Objective
The objective of the three experiment is to measure the elastic deflections of beams
and compare the experimental deflections to theoretical values, plastically deform
metal samples and fracture two sets of ceramic tiles.

2. Background
A beam is a long structural member, which is subjected to loads perpendicular to
its long dimension. The applied load is supported by the stresses that develop in the
beam as a result of bending.
Consider a beam, which is supported at its ends by rollers and subject to a single
point downward load at its mid-length. As a result of the bending, fibers on the
top surface are compressed and those on the bottom surface are extended. There is
a linear variation of strain from the top to the bottom surface. Assuming a linear
elastic behavior of the material, the stress also varies linearly from a compressive
stress on the top surface to a tensile stress on the bottom surface.
The magnitude of axial stress (x ) at any point along the beam depends on the
bending moment (M) at that point, the distance (y) of the point from the neutral
axis and the moment of inertia (I) of the cross-section about the neutral axis. For a
rectangular cross section beam, the magnitude of axial stress at the surface is,
Mc
(1) =
I
where c is half the thickness of the beam.
The downward deflection of points along the length of the beam varies from no
deflection at the points of support to a maximum at mid-span. The magnitude of
the maximum deflection is approximated as a function of the applied load (P ),
the length of the beam between the supports (L), the Youngs Modulus (E) of the
material and moment of inertia (I) of the cross section.
P L3
(2) =
48EI
1
2 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Figure 1. Beam Bending Moment and Shear Force Diagram.

The load, shear force, bending moment and deflection vary as shown schematically
in Figure 1.
For deflections at point x when the load is not at the center, the appropriate
equations to use are:
For 0 x < L/2:
P bx
(3) = (L2 x2 b2 )
6LEI
For L/2 x < L:
P bx L
(4) = ( (x a)3 + (L2 b2 )x x3 ),
6LEI b
where L = span width, a = distance to point where load is applied, b = L a, P
= load applied, E = Youngs modulus, and I = moment of inertia.
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 3

3. Experimental Procedure for Elastic Beam Bending

3.1. Read before starting the Test! Before you start the test, choose a material
from the set of bars. Identify the material and look up its mechanical properties.
Calculate the max load not-to-be-exceeded so you do not deform the beam plastically
[i.e., calculate the max elastic load from equation 1, divide this load by 2 as a safety
factor]. This max value is the one to be entered into the max load parameter in the
Method setup step.

Measure all the necessary dimensions of the beam.

Mount the specimen on the experimental set up.
Measure the distance L between the centers of the rollers on the support posts.
For this experiment the span should be set to 250 mm distance between roller
centers. Be aware that the scale on the specimen mount is a bit confusing.
The marks shown indicating the roller separation indicate the full span. If
you use these marks, then set the base of each roller mount to 250 mm on
the left and on the right. Check the separation of the roller centers using a
micrometer to make sure the measured separation is close to 250 mm 1 mm
or better.
NOTE: There are two Instron machines. One is for tension testing and the other
for compression (beam bending) testing. When used for tension the crosshead moves
in a direction to apply a tensile load. In bending mode, the crosshead moves to apply
a compressive load. This experiment uses the Instron located next to the left bench
top where the hardness tester is located.
If the computer is off, start it and, when it is ready, on the desktop in the folder
ME4620-02 Fall 2016 create a folder with your groups identification (last names of
members of the group) ME46200XF17[LastNamesOf GroupMembers].
Make sure the Instron is turned on and then Double-Click on the Bluehill software
icon. You will see a pop-up window that indicates a Download is in progress. Wait
until ALL downloading is complete and the Bluehill window opens. When the Blue-
hill software is ready you will see a window with several icons on it to choose from.
You will also see a login dialog window. Enter ME496 as the user and me496 as the
password.
Click on Method icon. This opens the Method tab and shows a list of Most recently
used methods. Make sure these are the flexure methods, and that you note where
the folder is located.

Open the appropriate Master file BendMetalElasticMaster or Bend MetalPlastic-

Master or BendCeramicMaster.im flexto open the beam bending method to use.
Once open, before making any changes, use the BROWSE button to locate where
4 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

the file is to be saved (Make sure your file is saved in YOUR folder), and save the
method using the following format:

ME4620SectionXF17-[Lastnames Go Here]-[Type]Bend.im flex

Start at General and work your way through the submenus of settings. Most of
the settings for the bend test have been inserted, so the only items you will enter are
sample name or identifier you use, some relevant comments or notes, load parame-
ters, dimensions of the bar: arm width and thickness.

: In General:
Method: System of units: SI; Assign specimen parameters from: Method
default
Sample: optional. You may add a description and notes
Basic Layout: skip
Advanced Layout: skip

: In Specimen:
Geometry: choose the sample geometry
Width, Thickness. Skip Final width and Final thickness.
Fixture type: 3-point
Support span: enter span width in mm
Skip the rest of the choices in Specimen

: In the Control window:

Skip Pre-Test

: Test: Ramp 1:
Control mode 1: Extension
Rate 1: 2 mm/min
Skip Ramp 2

: End of Test: Criteria 1: Load

Value 1: Set the Load to the value (Newtons) you calculated for the
material. Because this is a compression, the Load value must be set to
a negative value. For example if you calculate the max load to be 1000
N, then enter -1000 in the Load box.
Skip End of Test 2, 3 4
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 5

: Action : use Stop then Return. This will bring the crosshead up to its
starting position.
: Data: Data capture: Manual
: Criteria 1: channel 1: time, Interval 1: 50 ms;
: Criteria 2: Channel 2: Load, Interval 2: 10 N;
: Criteria 3: Channel 3: Extension, Interval 3: 0.1 mm
: Strain: Axial strain source: Extension;
Skip Alerts

: In the Calculations window:

: Setup: If not already in Selected Calculations, put in Max Flex Stress,
Max Flex Load, Modulus (Auto);
Skip Rounding

: In the Results 1 window:

: Selected Results: Specimen Label, Max Load, Max Stress, Flex Mod,
Comment;
: In Graph 1 window: Type: Enter a name for your sample or test
Skip x-data, y-data, Advanced.
Skip Graph 2

: In Raw Data window:

Selected Channels: Time, Extension, Load;

: In the Reports window:

: Documents:
: Template: Report - All Items.i rt
: Document Format: WORD ; Check the Save the document box; Skip Prints
Graphs
: Check the Specify output path box. Click on Browse button and choose
C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\ME4620Section X\Your folder\ElasticBend;
: Export Results: These have been set.
: Export Raw Data: These have been set.
: Defaults Table: Skip this.

: In the Test Prompts window: These have been set for 3 specimens, which
means you are to use the same specimen for three tests. When these have
been completed, change the specimen to the next one you have chosen.
6 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

When all the Method items have been checked or entered, click on the Save As
button and save your file as indicated earlier:

ME4620F17-Lastnames of group members]-ElasticBend.im flex

As a reminder: make sure your file is saved to YOUR folder and not someplace else.

In the selection window, be sure the directory to save the file in is on the desk-
top in the directory ME4620SectionX-F17. You may have to locate the directory
using the select button in the Save As... window. Make sure you know where
you saved the file. The path used is the one you just selected when you
specified the output path.

Click on the Bluehill icon in the upper left of the window, and then click on Test.
The next window shows a list of test methods. Click on the file name you just saved
to open the Test setup.
A Create a NewSample window opens. Enter a name for your sample.
To the right side of the window is a Next icon. Click on this icon.
The next window asks you to enter some information. Values will already be in
place. Click on the Next icon.
This window contains values you have set. Click on the Next icon.
This window tells you the test is ready.

STOP

and do the following:

1. Check that the crosshead will move down when the test starts. In the upper
left corner of the window there is an icon of the test frame. Click on this icon. A
small window will appear, Console Settings, that has three tabs. The Frame tab
should be visible. Check that in the Test Area box, the Below Crosshead box is
checked. This sets the system to drive the crosshead down for your test. When you
have completed this check of the crosshead motion, click on the DONE icon.

2. After Test has been activated, the load cell must be zerod. This is done three
times. Move the crosshead so that the load cell hangs freely.
Click Balance Load button. This is the first zero.

3. Move the cross-head until the load cell and the bar just touch, being sure it
is sitting straight on the sample. Continue moving the cross-head slowly until the
crosshead is solidly compressing the sample and the load cell arm cannot be moved
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 7

up by lifting it manually. The load should read the load cell weight, about 80 to 100
Newtons. Click Balance the Load to remove the load cell weight from the load
data. This is the second zero.

4. Continue moving the cross-head slowly until the load reads about 10 to 20 N.
Balance the Load cell by clicking on the Balance Load button again.This is the
third zero.

5. Click on Reset Gauge Length to zero the Extension sensor.

The specimen is now in the proper starting position for the test.

In the Bluehill window, click on START and wait for the test to run. The test will
stop when the Max Load you entered is reached. Click OK in the dialog box and
then raise the crosshead away slightly from your sample. Next, click on the Next
button. After the thrid run, click on the flag icon Finish button. In the next win-
dow that appears click on Finish Sample; you will see a progress bar that indicates
your data is being saved. Your data is automatically saved as a .csv file that can be
opened in EXCEL. If you do not click on Finish Sample your data will not be saved.

In the folder in which you have saved your Method, you should see, for each sample
and for each test run, additional files and a folder that contains your raw data. Open
this folder and verify that your data is present.

Do the bend test on three shapes.

Take at least three runs on each shape (a total of 9 sets of data). Put the data
from the three runs in one spreadsheet, and then for each row find the average of the
load settings You should then have as many rows of average values as you have rows
for the three loads.Plot the extension-load average to satisfy yourself that the data
is linear and can be used to estimate the flexure modulus after you have converted
load to stress.

3.2. Moments of Inertia. Moments of Inertia: Rectangular cross section:

bh3
(5) I0 =
12
Hexagonal cross section (all sides = a):

5 3a4
(6) I0 =
16
8 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

For hexagonal cross section width, calculate the cross sectional area and use the
thickness value to find the equivalent cross sectional width. This is the value to
enter into the software when it asks for width.
To find moments of inertia with more complex geometries, use techniques you
learned in Statics or find a credible reference.

4. Ductile Failure in Metal Samples

4.1. Ductile failure in 3-point beam bending. When a ductile beam is bent to
failure, the initial data will be a plot of load vs. deflection. The shape of this plot
should resemble a typical load vs. displacement plot for a tensile test of a similar
material, with a clearly distinguishable elastic and plastic region. However, convert-
ing this data into a more useful stress-strain diagram is more complicated than in a
tensile test. Because of the geometry of the test, the stress and strain in the beam
is not constant. Using the formulas in the previous Section, it is possible to convert
the elastic portion of the load-displacement plot into a plot of stress-at-the-beam-
surface vs. strain-at-the-beam-surface. This plot should allow easy measurement of
the modulus of the beam material. The yield stress of the beam should be measured
using the typical 0.2% offset yield criteria. However, once significant plastic defor-
mation occurs, the stress and strain conditions in the beam are so non-homogeneous
that analysis becomes very complicated (outside the scope of this class).

4.2. Procedure For Plastic Deformation of Metal Samples. Each group should
perform 3point beam bending tests on three identical bars of the provided ductile
metal materials. The resulting load-deflection plots should be converted into stress-
strain. This data should be used to calculate the elastic modulus and the yield stress
of the material. The two data sets should be very similar, highlighting that the
measurement of yield stress in a ductile material allows prediction of the failure of
an individual part.

4.3. Metal Plastic Bend. The setup for the metal plastic bend experiment is sim-
ilar to the elastic bend setup. There are several important differences, however. The
span length is to be set to 150 mm and the STOP occurs when the extension has
reached about 20.0 mm. In the Bluehill software, these values have been set already.
However, you must set the actual span length to 150mm or verify that the span is
set to that value.

Open in TEST mode the file ME4620BendMetalPlasticMaster.im flex .

The parameters for the 1018 steel bar have been set already. Immediately Save the
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 9

Figure 2. Span arrangement set to 150 mm for the metal plastic bend experiment.
10 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

file in a folder identified with your groups last names on it inside afolder named
PlasticBend:
C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\ME4620Section X\Your folder\PlasticBend;

With the steel bar in place on the span, lower the crosshead until it touches the
bar, zero the Extension and the Load. Continue lowering the cross head until the
drive rod is securely pushed into the socket at the sensor head. Zero the Load and
the Extension. In this experiment, fracture will not occur, but the metal will be bent
plastically. The program is set to run until the Extension reaches about 20.0 mm,
when it will stop.

As noted earlier, click on the Finish button and if the next beam of the three is
to be done, in the dialog that is in the window, click Continue. Raise the crosshead
and remove the bent bar and put a new one on the span.

Lower the crosshead as before until the drive rod is securely pushed up into the
socket at the sensor head. Zero the Load and the Extension and then start the test.

When three bars have been tested, click on the Finish flag button, a window will
open. Click on Finish button and watch for a progress bar that indicates your data
is being saved. When the next dialog box appears asking if you want to Continue,
click NO . Your three runs will be saved. Check to make sure you have a RAW Data
folder that contains the three data files (.csv format).

In the WORD file generated by the program, Figure 3, the plot you will see is
similar to the plot for the elastic bend, except the plastic yield point has been passed
and the the beam has been deformed until it has exceeded the ultimate yield point.

5. Ceramic Fracture Experiment

5.1. Brittle failure in 4-point beam bending. When a brittle beam is bent to
failure, the initial data will also be a plot of load vs. deformation. Again, the shape of
this plot will resemble that of a typical load-displacement plot for a similar material.
For brittle beams, there will be an elastic region followed by rapid fracture and
complete failure of the beam, with little or no plastic deformation. Since the almost
all of the test conditions occur in the elastic region, this complete data set should be
converted into stress-at-the-beam-surface vs. strain-at-the-beam-surface, and elastic
modulus should be measured. The fracture stress of the beam will typically be
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 11

Figure 3. Plot of plastically deformed metal. Extension in this plot

was stopped at 15.0 mm

determined from the maximum stress on the stress-strain plot, which usually takes
the form of a sharp cusp that occurs just before complete beam fracture.
However, measuring the fracture stress in a single sample is not sufficient to fully
understand the mechanical behavior of a brittle material. The yield strength of a
brittle material is strongly dependent on the presence of small cracks and flaws in the
material. These always-present flaws act as stress concentrators. As stress builds up
in a brittle material during a mechanical test, the stress around these flaws can be
orders of magnitude higher than what the rest of the material experiences. Failure
nearly always starts at one of these flaws. A brittle beam with very small cracks and
flaws will fail at a relatively high stress, while a similar beam containing one large
pre-existing crack will fail at a much lower stress. For further reading on this subject,
the student should consult the stress concentration entry in Wikipedia. While this
resource should NOT be used for actual engineering analysis due to the Wikipedia
editorial process, as of 2/2015 it is an excellent starting point for a college student
looking for information about this topic.

5.2. Weibull Analysis. The challenge in measuring the failure behavior of a brittle
material is that two apparently identical brittle beams can fail at very different
stresses because of differences in the flaw and crack sizes in the beams. Therefore, a
population-level analysis is required to understand and predict the failure in a brittle
12 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

material. This is known as Weibull Analysis, which allows prediction of failure in

a population of apparently identical brittle objects, but cannot provide prediction
of the failure stress of an individual object. This is a critical distinction that an
engineering student should learn from this lab. When designing a part from a brittle
material, in most circumstances, it is impossible to predict the stress that the object
can withstand before cracking. It is only possible to predict the chance of failure at
a specified stress.
The following two examples will provide the student with enough information
about Weibull analysis to perform this lab.
5.3. Example 1: Hosford, Mechanical Behavior of Materials, pp. 326-
331. In a test series to determine the fracture loads and stresses applied to ceramic
product, the following data were collected. For 100 tests, 11 failed at 85 MPa or less,
and 53 failed at 100 MPa or less. Estimate the stress that would cause 1 failure in
10,000 pieces.
Solution: The survival probability is expressed as
(7) P (survival) = exp[(/0 )m ].
When the stress equals the characteristic stress, 0 , then

1
(8) P (survival) = = 37%.
e
In this problem we have two sets of conditions under which fracture occurred.

Set 1: at no more than 85 MPa, 11 out of 100 failed.

Set 2: at no more than 100 MPa, 53 out of 100 failed.

The equation appropriate for this problem is the Weibull probability function.
(9) P (survival) = exp[(/0 )m ].
which is more conveniently expressed as

(10) ln[P (survivability] = (/0 )m

By taking the ratio of the ln[P ]s we can eliminate the 0 :

(11) lnPs2 /lnPs1 = (2 /1 )m

Using the ln of this ratio, we can write an equation for m:
(12) m = ln[lnPs2 /lnPs1 ]/ln[2 /1 ].
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 13

For the survival probability of the set 1, Ps1 , the P = 1.0 - .89, since 11 out of 100
fractured.
For the survival probability of the set 2, Ps2 , the P = 1.0 - .53 = .47, since 53 out
of 100 broke.
As a result we can calculate m from the equation for m.
(13) m = ln[ln[.47]/ln[.89]]/[ln[100/85]] = 11.50.
With a value for m, we next calculate the stress for 1 in 10 000 failing: Set 3 =
to the sought for stress. Then
(14) 3 /1 = (ln[Ps3 ]/ln[Ps1 ])(1/m) ,
which, after values are inserted, becomes
(15) [ln[0.9999]/ln[0.47]](1/11.50) = 0.46.
Hence, the predicted load at which 1 in 10 000 pieces will fail is 3 = .46(85) = 39
MPa.

5.4. Example 2: Meyers & Chawla, Mechanical Behavior of Materials,

pp. 449-457. In this example, there are load data from three types of SiC. The
width of each is 4 mm and the height is 3 mm. In the test machine, the setup was a
4-point bend arrangement with the outer span = 40 mm and the span between the
two loads = 20 mm.
Using the data from the load table, Table 1, calculate the Weibull modulus, m,
and the characteristic strength, 0 , and make a Weibull plot for each set of data.
Note that the load data has been sorted from smallest to largest in order
to have the loads correspond to the calculated probabilities.
SOLUTION: As indicated in Figure 4, the stress produced on the ceramic is given
in terms of the moment arm, the half height of the specimen and the moment of
inertia of the specimen configuration.
After substituting these last three parameters into the stress equation we obtain
(16) stress = (load/2)[outerspan/4][height/2]/[width(height3 )/12]
which reduces to
(17) stress = load[(3/4)[outerspan/(width(height2 )).
This can be rewritten as
(18) stress = constant load,
where the constant is fixed for the specific geometries of the setup and the cross
section of the specimen.
14 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Table 1. Load in Newtons

Test No. SiC-A SiC-B SiC-C
1 287 421 394
2 291 556 466
3 327 569 475
4 345 573 493
5 358 573 493
6 394 591 511
7 412 609 529
8 426 618 564
9 448 618 564
10 466 645 573
11 484 654 591
12 493 676 600
13 493 685 614
14 497 690 618
15 497 690 618
16 511 703 618
17 511 708 618
18 524 717 627
19 591 739 627
20 605 739 645

Figure 4. Configuration for 4 point bending of specimen.

Data on the fracture load is given in the table of loads for each specimen, and the
data have been ordered from smallest to largest.
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 15

Table 2. Stresses; Survival, Failure Probabilities

Number SiC-A SiC-B SiC-C P F

1 239 0 0 0.95 0.05
2 243 463 388 0.90 0.10
3 273 474 396 0.86 0.14
4 288 478 411 0.81 0.19
5 298 478 411 0.76 0.24
6 328 493 426 0.71 0.29
7 343 508 441 0.67 0.33
8 355 515 470 0.62 0.38
9 373 515 470 0.57 0.43
10 388 538 478 0.52 0.48
11 403 545 493 0.48 0.52
12 411 563 500 0.43 0.57
13 411 571 512 0.38 0.62
14 414 575 515 0.33 0.67
15 414 575 515 0.29 0.71
16 426 586 515 0.24 0.76
17 426 590 515 0.19 0.81
18 437 598 523 0.14 0.86
19 493 616 523 0.10 0.90
20 504 616 538 0.05 0.95
Average 373 542 476
Stdev 76 51 49

Next, the stress corresponding to each load is calculated, Table 2. The constant
is 8333331/m2
For the Weibull Survival probability, we have
(19) P (survive) = (N + 1 i)/(N + 1),
where N = number of tests and i = test number and the probability of failure is
(20) F =1P
Next, we plot F vs. stress, Figure 5.
The Failure probability can be written in terms of the stress , the characteristic
stress 0 and the modulus m as
(21) F = 1 exp[(/0 )m ]
16 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Figure 5. Plot of experimental stresses at which failure occurred.

Take the natural log of 1-F to get

(22) ln(1 F ) = (/0 )m
By taking the ln again, after moving the negative sign to the left side of the
equation, we obtain
(23) ln[ln[1/(1 F )]] = mln[] mln[0 ]
This form is just a linear equation form, which means if we plot

(24) ln[ln[1/(1 F )]]vsmln[],

a value of m can be estimated.
Data for the plot to find m and ln[0 ] are listed in Table 3.

When the stress equals the characteristic stress, the P (survival) = 1/e = 0.37,
which means F = 1 P = .63. To estimate 0 , find the stress value where F = 0.63.
From the stress-F table (Table 2):
0 : 414 575 515
With these values of m and 0 , we can calculate the expected Weibull probability
curve, Table 4.
The probability of failure is shown in Figure 6.
5.5. Procedure For Brittle Fracture. Each group should perform 4point beam
bending tests on two sets,10 in each set, of the ceramic bars that will be provided by
the instructor. The first set should have the white side down, resting on the rollers.
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 17

Table 3. Natural log of

Test No. SiC-A SiC-B SiC-C ln[ln[1/(1 F )]]

1 5.477 0 0 -3.02023
2 5.491 6.138 5.962 -2.30175
3 5.608 6.162 5.981 -1.86982
4 5.661 6.169 6.018 -1.55443
5 5.698 6.169 6.018 -1.30220
6 5.794 6.199 6.054 -1.08924
7 5.839 6.229 6.089 -0.90272
8 5.872 6.244 6.153 -0.73486
9 5.922 6.244 6.153 -0.58050
10 5.962 6.287 6.169 -0.43599
11 6.000 6.301 6.199 -0.29849
12 6.018 6.334 6.215 -0.16570
13 6.018 6.347 6.238 -0.03554
14 6.026 6.354 6.244 0.09405
15 6.026 6.354 6.244 0.22535
16 6.054 6.373 6.244 0.36122
17 6.054 6.380 6.244 0.50575
18 6.079 6.393 6.259 0.66573
19 6.199 6.423 6.259 0.85500
20 6.223 6.423 6.287 1.11334
Slope: 4.949 9.840 8.616

Figure 6. Probability of Failure vs. ln(Stress).

18 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Table 4. Weibull Data for Plot

Number SiC-A SiC-B SiC-C P F
1 239 0.0 0.0 0.064 0.000
2 243 463 388 0.068 0.113
3 273 474 396 0.118 0.139
4 288 478 411 0.151 0.148
5 298 478 411 0.179 0.148
6 328 493 426 0.272 0.196
7 343 508 441 0.327 0.254
8 355 515 470 0.373 0.287
9 373 515 470 0.450 0.287
10 388 538 478 0.517 0.402
11 403 545 493 0.584 0.446
12 411 563 500 0.617 0.558
13 411 571 512 0.617 0.606
14 414 575 515 0.632 0.632
15 414 575 515 0.632 0.632
16 426 586 515 0.683 0.699
17 426 590 515 0.683 0.724
18 437 598 523 0.727 0.768
19 493 616 523 0.905 0.860
20 504 616 538 0.929 0.860
Average 373 542 476

A second set of 10 ceramics is to be tested as for the first set but with this difference:
the white side should be facing up toward the ram.The resulting load-deflection data
should be analyzed in three ways. First, the data should be converted to stress-strain
and the modulus should be calculated. Note that it may not be possible to perform
this calculation, depending on the samples provided. A statistical analysis should be
performed on the resulting E values. Second, a Weibull analysis should be performed
on this data in order to measure m and 0 . Third, compare the results of the two
sets and note any significant differences. Explain why there would be differences in
the behavior, if any are observed.

6. Ceramic Setup
For this experiment, in Test mode open the ME4620BendCeramicMaster.im flex
test file. The parameters have been set up already. If the dimensions of your tile
are different from values shown in the file, you can change them by entering the
 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 19

correct values. Save the file by adding your name to the file name. Put the file in a
folder with your name on it inside the BendCeramic... folder .
The type of load rod used for the ceramic material tests is a 4-point load arrange-
ment that two cylindrical rods mounted onto a steel block that attaches to the drive
rod. The centers of the cylindrical rods are separated by 25.4 mm and they must
be arranged so that the rod axes are perpendicular to the span when the ceramic is
placed on the span. The configuration is shown in Figure 7.
The separation of the span supports is set at 75.0 mm as indicated in the Figure.
To obtain this separation, loosen the lock bolts on the span supports and move one
to the left to a position marked on the scale as 75 and one to the right to position
marked 75. Check the separation with a digital scale and adjust as needed. Accuracy
is 0.2 mm in setting this separation.
Place the ceramic tile on the support span with the slick side down against the
rollers and then make sure it is centered on the rollers. The rough side should be
face up.
Unlike the elastic bend experiment, this one is designed to generate fracture data
on ceramic specimens. This means the following: when moving the crosshead down
to the specimen, you do NOT lower it until the drive rod is tight in the sensor socket
as was required for the elastic bend experiment. Bring the crosshead down just until
it touches the surface of the ceramic test piece. Zero the load and the extension and
then start your test.
The test has been set to stop when the when the applied load drops to 10 N. Allow
the program to run until you see the small window appear that asks you to remove
your specimen. When you click the OK, the crosshead will come back to its starting
position. If you have another specimen to test, raise the crosshead enough so that
you can place the tile on the span rollers, and then slowly lower the crosshead until
it just touches the tile. Start the next run.
When you are finished, click the finished button. If you have tested 10 tiles, the
program will ask if you want to continue. Click NO to stop the program. Check
your folder to be sure you have the RAW Data folder with your runs in it. NOTE:
If you click YES you will overwrite your data set.
Put the broken tiles in the box next to the Instron test stand.
Your data will look something like the plot in Figure 8.
Repeat the experiment with the tile with the white face up. Again, make sure
you have saved your data correctly: there should be a folder for the raw data that
contains the .csv files of your data.
20 WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Figure 7. Arrangement of Instron for ceramic plastic bend tests.

 ME4620: BEAM BENDING EXPERIMENTS 21

Figure 8. Plot of ceramic fracture data (from EXCEL plot).

7. Report
Long Report: Prepare a long report that contains a brief description of the
tests. Include tables of your important results for each test. Present results of your
calculations for any asked for parameter estimates (detailed calculations can be put
into an appendix or large data files can be submitted separately and referenced in
the report). Include Results and Discussions section and a Conclusions section that
summarizes your results. Make sure any claims you make in the conclusions are
substantiated by your data as presented. Put your sources at the end of the report,
properly numbered with the same number when referred to in the body of the report.
All load-deflection and calculated stress-strain data for both the metal and the ce-
ramic materials should be presented in the report, along with an explanation (or
example calculations) of how the plots were generated. Analysis of E and Y S
should be presented for the metal plastic deformation tests, and analysis of m and
0 should be presented for the ceramic brittle fracture tests.
Submit your report electronically to Pilot in WORD doc or docx format.