Draw the stress-strain diagram for a tensile test on mild steel and explain its salient points.
Draw the stress-strain diagram for a tensile test on mild steel and explain its salient points.
Here's a description of a typical stress-strain diagram for mild steel under tensile load, along with explanations of its key points:

Image Source: Wikipedia
-
Proportionality Limit (A):
This is the region where stress and strain are directly proportional, obeying Hooke's Law (Stress = E * Strain, where E is Young's Modulus). Up to this point, if the load is removed, the material will return to its original shape.
-
Elastic Limit (B):
This is the point beyond the proportionality limit up to which the material remains elastic. If the load is removed before reaching the elastic limit, the material will still return to its original dimensions. However, beyond the proportionality limit, the stress and strain are no longer proportional.
-
Upper Yield Point (C):
This point indicates the stress at which the material starts to deform plastically. It's the point where the material begins to yield significantly without any noticeable increase in stress.
-
Lower Yield Point (D):
After the upper yield point, the stress drops down to the lower yield point. This is a more stable yield stress value and is typically used for design purposes. The material deforms plastically at this constant stress.
-
Strain Hardening Region (D to E):
In this region, the material undergoes changes in its crystalline structure, resulting in increased resistance to deformation. To further stretch the material, more stress is required.
-
Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) or Tensile Strength (E):
This is the maximum stress the material can withstand. Beyond this point, the material starts to neck down (localize deformation in a small area).
-
Necking Region (E to F):
After reaching the UTS, the cross-sectional area of the specimen starts to decrease rapidly at a particular location (necking). The stress decreases as the material elongates further because the load is now being applied over a smaller area.
-
Fracture Point (F):
This is the point where the specimen breaks or fractures.
Important Considerations:
- Ductile Material: Mild steel is a ductile material, meaning it can undergo significant plastic deformation before fracture. This is evident from the extended plastic region (D to F) in the stress-strain curve.
- Engineering Stress vs. True Stress: The stress-strain curve described above is based on engineering stress (load divided by original area). True stress (load divided by instantaneous area) is higher than engineering stress in the necking region.