This simulation has been designed to support the teaching of Tensile Testing at A-Level.
It can be used to demonstrate how tensile testing experiments are carried out to find out the effect of carbon content on the mechanical properties of steel. Stress/Strain graphs have been created from real experimental data; values may be accurately taken from the graphs and be used to determine Young’s Modulus. The graphs can be easily overlaid to help demonstrate the effect of the varying % carbon content.
The data for this experiment has been taken from an Oxford University Materials Department Masterclass and is designed to be used in conjunction with the supplied Teachers Notes. The notes provide a comprehensive introduction to tensile testing, and include information on an investigation that can be carried out in the classroom using plasticine.
The Masterclass notes also include a series of micrographs relating to the steels used in this experiment.
Teachers Notes
You can download the teachers notes from the following link (13MB MS Word Document):
Credits
Thanks go to Oxford University Department of Materials for supplying the experimental data and associated Teachers Notes for this activity. The Department is heavily involved in outreach, and have a great deal of useful resources for teaching and Materials awareness available online. http://outreach.materials.ox.ac.uk/
