Tensile testing

Guidance on testing: Standards and TENSTAND​

The revised standards EN 10002 Pt 1 & Pt 5, covering room temperature and elevated tensile testing of metals, now recognise the dominance of computer controlled testing machines, but the systematic technological evidence on which such standards should be based has not been readily available. TENSTAND was set up as a 3-year project, funded by the EU under the programme 'Promoting Competitive & Sustainable Growth', and has addressed this issue through:

• Development of tensile data sets in ASCII format for validating testing machine software used to determine the relevant material parameters (including Young's modulus, proof stress, tensile strength and elongation at fracture)
• An intercomparison exercise on testing machine control methodology for tensile testing and numerical modelling activities to provide underpinning information for development of tensile testing standards
• Work on the measurement of modulus by both tensile testing and dynamic methods, again to provide underpinning information for development of relevant standards

As part of the TENSTAND project, a comprehensive literature review on tensile testing was completed, covering many aspects of tensile testing including recent development in standards, alignment and gripping, testpiece geometry, speed and control of testing, round-robins, data recording, precision and estimating the uncertainty of measurement.

Find out more on the following topics: 

• Workpackages and reports
• ASCII data files
• Partners

 

Workpackages and reports

The project consisted of four technical activities as detailed below:

• Literature review of tensile test machine control characteristics, modulus determination and inter-comparison exercises, and data suitable for the assessment of uncertainty.

Download the TENSTAND Test Method Review

• Evaluation of digital tensile software specification of software, including evaluation of mathematical and graphical methods and preparation of ASCII format tensile data sets of typical engineering alloys. A series of data sets have been generated for validation of test machine and analysis software and for determining the designated material properties such as proof stress, or upper and lower yield stress, tensile strength, and elongation at fracture using testing machine manufacturers' commercial software and in-house university and industrial software.

Download the TENSTAND Software Validation Evaluation

Download details of the ASCII datafiles

• Modulus measurement methods: Evaluation of methods algorithms used for determining tensile modulus by software validation using ASCII tensile data sets and by mechanical testing. The report compares modulus values determined using alternative techniques.

Download the TENSTAND Modulus Measurement Methods report

• Evaluation of machine control characteristics: Work was carried out to examine the influence of test machine control, i.e. permitted speed changes during the test in the standard, achieved through a test programme using a selection of materials, including the Certified Tensile Reference Material CRM661, and at other industrial relevant materials.

Download the TENSTAND Machine Control Tests report

 

ASCII data files

These ASCII formatted data sets have been developed for the validation of tensile testing machine software, and for the determination of materials parameters by comparison with agreed values established through the TENSTAND intercomparison.

Files can be downloaded as a complete set by clicking the link at the bottom of the following table:

File	Material	Tensile behaviour
01	Nimonic 75, CRM	Monotonic yielding
06	Nimonic 75, CRM	Monotonic yielding
10	13% Mn Steel	High work hardening
13	S355 Structural steel	Upper and lower yield
17	316L Stainless steel	Monotonic yielding
22	Tin coated packaging steel	Stress softening
30	Sheet steel - DX56	Low work hardening
38	Aluminium sheet - hard AA5182	Stepped yielding
42	Aluminium sheet - soft AA1050	Non-linear
46	Aluminium sheet - soft AA5182	Serrated yielding
50	Sheet steel - DX56	Low work hardening
53	Sheet steel - ZStE	Upper and lower yield
57	Synthetic data	Monotonic yielding
61	Synthetic data with 0.5% noise	Monotonic yielding
63	Synthetic data with 1% noise	Monotonic yielding
Access the whole set of datafiles - Zip file

Please note: The data sets are to be used in conjunction with the report on the tensile testing software intercomparison, where agreed values and issues related to the analysis of the data are given.

Download the TENSTAND Software Validation Evaluation

 

Partners

Organisation	Country	Contact	Activity
National Physical Laboratory	UK		Research & Testing
INSTRON	UK	Ian McEnteggart	Testing Machine Manufacturer
BAM	Germany	Hellmuth Klingelhoffer	Research & Testing
ZWICK	Germany	Hermann Bloching	Testing Machine Manufacturer
Denison-Mayes (DMG)	UK	Simon Willett	Testing Machine Manufacturer
Thyssen Krup Stahl (TKS)	Germany	Michael Borsutzki	Steel Producer
USINOR (SOLLAC)	France	Jean-Luc Geoffroy	Steel Producer
Corus		Stuart Sotheran	Steel Producer
Hydro Aluminium RDB		Johannes Aegerter	Aluminium Producer
ISQ	Portugal	Carlos Pinto	Research & Testing
Dept of Mech Eng, University of Strathclyde	UK	Tom Gray	Education & Research
Dept Mech & Manufacturing Eng, Trinity College, Dublin	Eire	Michael Murphy	Education & Research

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Find out more about NPL’s research on Mechanical testing