High Temperature Tensile Testing

High Temperature Tensile Testing

1 Introduction
Aim of this lab course is to determine the material properties of a C45 steel at different
temperatures. Therefore the servo hydraulic testing machine “Gleeble 3500” of Co. DSI is
used. Due to resistive heating of the sample the thermal conditions (heating rate, holding time,
etc.) can be chosen freely. This is of major importance to avoid temperature dependent
changes in microstructure (e.g. recrystallization) due to rapid heating.
The “Gleeble 3500” is mainly used to determine experimental data for the simulation of
welding processes, high temperature material properties and the analysis of hot cracking.

2 Basic Information
2.1 Comparison to conventional High Temperature Tensile Testing
The main difference between “conventional” high temperature tensile tests with radiation
furnace heating (slow heating, uniform temperature distribution over the whole sample) and
high temperature tensile tests with resistive heating (nonuniforn temperature distribution due
to heat flow via the clampings) is shown in figure 1.

Conventional high (Warm-)

Konventioneller temperature tensile test
Zugversuch Gleeble
Gleeble tensile test
- Warmzugversuch

Dehnungsaufnehmer Querhauptbewegung

Meßlänge Bezugslänge

T T

x x
ε ε

x x

Figure 1 : Comparison between radiation heating and resistive heating of the samples
and their influence on the strain of the samples

2.2 Temperature Distribution

The typical temperature distribution of high temperature tensile tests with resistive heating
can be seen in figure 2. Ideally, the highest temperature is located in the center of the sample,
because the thermocouple for the temperature measurement is located there. The temperature

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 High Temperature Tensile Testing

in vicinity of the clampings is significantly lower (with a parabolic shape) because of the heat
loss due to the water cooling clamps.

1.200
T(x, Tmax) = Tmax - a(Tmax) * x2
1.000
Temperatur [°C]
800

600

400

200

0
-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
x-Koordinate [mm]

Figure 2: parabolic temperature distribution in longitudinal direction from the center of

the sample (round steel specimen, copper clampings)

Due to the temperature distribution above mentioned the mechanical properties of the sample
are location dependant. Therefore the longitudinal strain can`t be measured directly. Although
it is possible to determine the lateral strain in the hottest section during elastic deformation,
which can be used to calculate the longitudinal strain with the poisson ratio.
600

Werkstoff:
500
X6CrNiTi18-10
RT
Spannung [MPa]

400

300 700 °C

200
900 °C

100
1000 °C
1380 °C 1375 °C
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Dehnung [%]

Figure 3: typical stress-strain curves at different testing temperatures

Figure 3 shows typical stress-strain curves of an austenitic stainless steel at different testing
temperatures. It is obvious that the strength lowers with increasing testing temperature. The
changes in fracture behavior are summarized in figure 4. There the transition between

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 High Temperature Tensile Testing

cup-cone fracture at lower temperatures and ductile fracture at high temperatures can be seen.
Rapid heating to very high temperatures can cause partial melting of segregation zones at the
grain boundaries, which results in nonductile fracture behavior (zero-ductility fracture).

cup-cone fracture ductile fracture z-d fracture

broken
sample

macroscopic
fracture
surface

microscopic
fracture
surface

cross section

Figure 4: Changes of fracture behavior at different testing temperatures

3 Experimental
The tensile strength of C45 steel at temperatures of 600°C, 800°C, 1000°C, 1200°C and
1330°C will be measured.
• Heating rate: 100 K/s
• Holding time: 10 s
• Strain rate: 1 mm/s
The second focus lies on the fracture behavior (brittle/ductile) of the material. Before testing
thermocouples (type K) are welded onto the samples to measure the temperature during
testing. Additionally the test at 1000°C shall be used to analyze the temperature distribution
along the sample. Therefore, for this experiment 3 thermocouples are welded onto the sample.

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 High Temperature Tensile Testing

One is located in the sample center and 2 in an adequate distance to the center. For the other
test, only one thermocouple is sufficient.
Measure the sample elongation after fracture. Photograph the samples after testing, so fracture
surface and fracture behavior can be seen.

4 Report
• Note the rupture strains for the different testing temperatures in a table. Show the
stress-strain curves of all tests in one diagram and discuss it in combination with the
observed fracture surfaces
• Calculate a regression formula for the mathematic description of the ultimate tensile
strength vs. temperature dependency (Rm = f(T)). Find a mathematical approach for
the temperature distribution along samples longitudinal axis at 1000°C (T = f(x))
Based on those two equations the ultimate tensile strength distribution in dependency
of the sample position (longitudinal position) at 1000°C shall be plotted (Rm = f(x)).
Discuss the resulting distribution in comparison to the temperature distribution.

Additional hints:
• Write the report in complete sentences
• Clear captions and table headings
• Integrate figures, pictures and tables in the text and not as an attachment

5 Students preparation for the lab course

Students have to be prepared for the following topics:
• Stress-strain curves
• Deformation mechanisms in metallic materials, deformation mechanism map (Asby-
map)
• Homologous temperature
• Creep
• Hardening mechanisms