Science mechanics - Essay Example

By applying a pulling force on a material until it breaks, it is possible to obtain the entire tensile profile of the material. The changes observed by way of the continuous pulling are noted down and can be used to construct a curve which shows the reaction to the applied forces in a graphical manner (Paul Tipler, 2005). In this context, the point where the material fails in the presence of the forces is of much significance in the study of the tensile properties of the material and is determined from the curve as the ‘Ultimate Strength’ or ‘UTS’.

For determining the tensile strength of materials, especially during the initial phase of performing the tensile test, one can observe that the relationship between the load or applied forces and the elongation in the material is linear in nature. Within this linear region, the curve obeys the ‘Hooke’s law’, whereby the stress to strain ratio is a constant and is known as the ‘modulus of elasticity’. It is also popularly known as the ‘Young’s modulus’ (John Poynting, 2006). The young’s modulus helps estimate the stiffness or resistance to elongation that is exhibited by the material although it is applicable only within the linear region of the curve.

Within this linear region, any material subjected to a load and related elongation will return back to the same condition when released from such forces. Beyond the point where the curve no longer exhibits elongated behavior, the Hooke’s law does no longer operate and may result in the deformation of the material from its original state. This region of the curve is known as ‘elastic’ (Roger Muncaster, 1993). When subjected to more force beyond the elastic region, the material reacts with a plastic behavior, and will be permanently deformed owing to the increase in the magnitude of such compulsive forces.

The method to calculate the tensile strength of the steel section is achieved by using an