Identifying the unknown sample ID#21 by conducting

mechanical and physical tests

Muayad Alhilal

UNC Charlotte, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ME3152; Mechanics and

Materials Laboratory

Preformed on: April 5, 2018

Reported on: April 21, 2018
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. 2
Abstract................................................................................................................................ 3
Objective .............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
Results and Discussion ......................................................................................................... 6
Conclusion............................................................................................................................ 9
References .......................................................................................................................... 10
Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 11

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Abstract

The purpose of the experiment was to identify an unknown sample by conducting different
mechanical and physical tests. The sample that was assigned was labeled with an ID# of 21. A test
plan consisting of a sequence of tests was carried out in order to identify the unknown sample. The
plan started with a tensile test to observe the behavior of the sample under a tensile load. It was
observed that the sample had necking before the fracture and the stress-strain overall trend showed
ductile material characteristics with relative high elongation. Therefore, the material was classified
as a soft material. Moreover, a small cylinder from the sample’s end was cut to preform a
microstructure examination so that the surface features may be correlated to a unique material
identity. Furthermore, a Rockwell hardness test was conducted on the surface to narrow down the
possibilities knowing that the sample was soft from the tensile test. In addition, the sample was
founded to be not magnetic by conducting a simple ferromagnetic test. Lastly, the density was
measured by calculating the volume and measuring the weight of the cylinder. After analyzing the
results, the tensile test showed that the sample had an ultimate strength of 348 MPA, a yield
strength of 270 MPa, a modulus of elasticity of 70 GPa, and an elongation of 15%. Moreover, the
microstructure examination showed some features that were compared to known material
microstructure. A hardness value of 57.7 +/- 2.34 HRB and a density of 2.64 ±0.026 g/cm3 were
found. After a comparison with a material database, the unknown sample labeled with ID# 21 was
identified as 2011-T3 Aluminum.

Objective

The objective of the lab was to identify an unknown sample by conducting different mechanical
and physical tests that were learned in MEGR3152 course.

Introduction

The identity of an unknown material may be found by testing a sample to obtain its mechanical
properties and/or physical properties. In addition, the properties may be correlated to a known
material by comparing the results to a material database. Moreover, a sequence of tests should
carry out in order to select parameters for the next test. The sequence starts with a tensile test then
a microstructure examination then a hardness test then a density measurement then a
ferromagnetism test. The tensile test helps to determine the behavior of the material on order to
select appropriate approach for the next tests.

Tensile test is the most common test used in metals1. It could be used for any type of metal to
obtain its yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, young’s modulus, and ductility from the stress-
strain curve. Moreover, the observation of the overall stress-strain curve and the fracture mode of
the sample can determine whether the sample is a soft metal or a hard metal. The characteristics
of a hard metal are high tensile and ultimate strengths while the characteristics of soft metals are
low tensile and ultimate strengths. It is important to determine whether the sample is hard or soft
to select a suitable approach in the microstructure examination and hardness test such as the
etching agent and the Rockwell scale.

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 Figure 1: Behavior of metals under a tensile test (Source:admet.com)

Furthermore, microstructure examination helps to observe the features of a sample’s surface. In

order to observe these features using a microscope, a mirror-like surface should be produced to
reveal the microstructure. The features of a metal surface are but not limited to the grain boundary
size, the composition of the alloy, and phase determination. These features may be correlated to a
known sample features in order to identify the unknown sample.

The principle of Rockwell hardness test is to apply a prescribed load by a spherical or cone
indenters, which are harder than the specimen, to the surface of the specimen to leave an
impression on the surface. The advantage of this test is the short time required to obtain the
hardness value. Figure 1 shows the diagram of the test and the parameters of the impression. The
hardness value can be calculated using (Eqn.1) 234.

ℎ
𝐻𝑅 = 𝑁 − Eqn. (1)
𝑠

Where HR is the hardness and

N is a numerical value based on the scale used and
h is remaining depth of penetration in mm and
s is a scale division based on the scale used in mm

Figure 2: Rockwell Hardness Test diagram from a side view.

Density is a physical property that measures the mass per unit volume. Therefore, it is expressed
in unit mass per unit volume. Different materials tend to have different densities due to the different
atomic mass of an element or compound and the metallic structure. As a result, density is a useful

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property that can identify the material. Furthermore, there are many ways in which the density can
be measured. One way is to calculate the volume of the sample if it has a regular shape and measure
the volume of the water displaced from the sample if it has irregular shape. The density then may
be found using (Eqn.2).5

Mass
Density = Volume Eqn. (2)

Where Density is in gram per cubic centimeter and

Mass is in grams
Volume is in cubic centimeter

Furthermore, ferromagnetism test is a simple test that is used to determine whether the sample is
a ferrous alloy or non-ferrous alloy. The ferrous alloys are attracted by magnetic force unlike the
non-ferroalloy. The reason is that ferrous alloys have high amount of iron comparing with non-
ferrous alloys where that have low or non amount of iron. The test simply is to hold a magnetic
and observe if there is an attraction force or not between the sample and the magnetic.6

Equipment and Procedure

A sequence of tests was conducted in order to identify the unknown sample by following the lab
guide instructions for each test. First, the tensile test started with marking two dots on the specimen
following the ASTM manual using a white marker in order to measure the strain under the tensile
load. An Instron 5582 Universal Testing Machine was used to preform the tensile test and collect
the data. The sample was inserted between the grips and the tensile test was preformed.7

In microstructure examination. The procedure consisted of five major parts which are cutting a
small cylinder, manual grinding, polishing, etching, and observing. Furthermore, a small cylinder
was cut from the specimen end by using Delta Abrasimet abrasive cutter. Then, the sample was
hand grinded using a grit size of 320,400, and 600. Then, ECOMET 3 was used with 800 and 1200
grit sizes. Then, the sample was etched by 1/3 NH4OH +1/3 H2O2+1/3 H2O etching agent to reveal
the internal microstructure. The sample then was washed by water and dried by compresses air.
Then, the sample was placed on Olympus BX51 Microscope stage and the microstructures were
observed and recorded.8

In hardness, Wilson 2000 Rockwell hardness test machine was used to preform the hardness test.
The test scale was selected by selecting [Scale] from the screen, then selecting the test scale that
was desired. Then, [OK] button was clicked. The green [START] button was clicked and the result
appeared in the main screen. The result was recorded and five trails were carried out in different
spots on the surface.9

To find the density, the volume of the cylinder was calculated by measuring the diameter and the
length of the cylinder by a caliper. Then, Mettler PM 1200 scale was used to measure the mass of
the cylinder. Five trials of the measurements were taken.10

Lastly, a magnet was used to test the sample in order to determine whether the material was ferrous
alloy or not. 10

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Results and Discussion

The tensile test results were collected and analyzed. A stress-strain curve was plotted in order to
determine the mechanical properties of the unknown sample.

Engineering Stress-Strain curve of Unknown Sample ID#21

400
350
300
Stress (MPa)

250
200
150
100
50
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18
Strain

Figure 3: Engineering stress-strain curve of the unknown sample ID#21 showing the 0.002 offset line and the
parallel line of measuring the ductility.

Figure 3 shows that the material tends to have high ductility with a relative low tensile and yield
strengths. In addition, the trend of the curve shows a linear elastic region. The necking that was
observed during preforming the tensile test indicates that the material is classified as a ductile
material. The 0.002 offset method was used to determine the yield strength which was 270 MPa.
Furthermore, the curve shows that the material has an ultimate tensile strength of 348 MPa and a
ductility of 15%. In addition, the modulus of elasticity was calculated using (Eqn.3) which is valid
only at the linear elastic region.
𝜎
𝐸= Eqn. (3)
𝜀

Where:
𝐸 is young’s modulus in Pascal and
σ is stress in Pascal and
𝜀 is strain in unit length per unit length

Table 1 Summary of mechanical properties of the unknown sample ID#21

Young’s Modulus (GPa) Yield Strength (MPa) UTS (MPa) Ductility (%)
70 GPa 270 MPa 348 MPa 15%

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 Intermetallic Grain
Particles Boundaries

Figure 4: an optical micrograph shows the microstructure of the unknown sample ID#21 with a scale bar of 20 𝜇m
and a magnification of 50x.

Figure 4 shows the microstructure of the unknown sample. During the process of revealing the
microstructure, the sample was etched several times to produce a higher quality microstructure.
The sample was etched for 23 seconds to produce the micrograph in (Figure 4). In addition, while
the sample was being scanned using the microscope, it was noticed that there was a vibration on
the life feeds while the stage has no vibration. The PC and the microscope were checked for the
source of this unexpected problem. However, the source of the problem was not defined.

Furthermore, the grain boundaries and intermetallic particles were observed. However, these
particles and the heat treatment used cannot be defined to determine the material. Therefor, the
microstructure graph was compared to other materials microstructure. A research on the web
suggests that the material is a 2011 aluminum.

Table 2 Rockwell hardness test results on the unknown sample ID#21

Trial # HRB
1 56.3
2 54.6
3 57.8
4 59.6
5 60.3
Average 57.7
Standard Deviation 2.34

The scale that was used was HRB. Considering that the material had lower strength than the steel,
HRB scale was selected since steel is harder than the unknown sample. Moreover, the result shows
that the material had a hardness value of 57.7 HRB +/- 2.34. The value will be used to support the
identity of the unknown sample since hardness alone cannot define a material.

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 Table 3 Summary of density measurement for the unknown sample ID#21
Trial # Diameter (cm) Height (cm) Volume (cm3) Weight (g) Density (g/cm3)
1 1.28 1.96 2.52 6.580 2.61
2 1.28 1.97 2.53 6.581 2.60
3 1.28 1.95 2.51 6.582 2.62
4 1.27 1.97 2.50 6.578 2.64
5 1.28 1.94 2.50 6.883 2.76
Average 1.3 1.96 2.51 6.641 2.64
Standard Deviation 0.0045 0.013

The uncertainty of the volume may be calculated using (Eqn.4) while the uncertainty of the density
may be calculated using (Eqn.5). 10

𝜋𝑑ℎ 𝜋𝑑2
𝛿𝑉 = √( 𝛿𝑑)2 +( 𝛿ℎ)2 Eqn. (4)
2 4

Where 𝛿𝑉 is the uncertainty of the volume and

d is the diameter of the cylinder and
h is the height of the cylinder and
𝛿𝑑 and x 𝛿ℎ are the standard deviations of the diameter and the height

1 −𝑊
𝛿𝐷 = √(𝑉 𝛿𝑊)2 +( 𝑉 2 𝛿𝑉)2 Eqn. (5)

Where 𝛿𝐷 is the uncertainty of the density and

V is the volume and
W is the weight and
𝛿𝑊 is reproducibility of the scale and
𝛿𝑉 is the uncertainty of the volume

The density was found to be 2.64 ±0.026. A possible error from the calculated volume may be
caused from the geometry of the cylinder. It was observed that one end of the cylinder was not
perfect due to the cutting. The volume may be found by finding the volume of the displaced water
method which will be more accurate. However, since the objective of the project was to identify
the unknown sample not to measure the density, the calculated volume and its error are reasonable
to support other tests results and to identify the unknown material.

The magnetism test showed no attraction force between the sample and the magnetic. Therefore,
the sample has low or no iron amount. As a result, the sample was classified as a non-ferrous alloy.

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 Table 4 Summary of tests preformed on the unknown sample ID#21
Rockwell Magnetism
Tensile Test Density
Hardness Test Test
Modulus Yield Strength UTS Ductility Ferrous alloy
HRB (g/cm3)
(GPa) (MPa) (MPa) (%) (Yes/No)
Experiment 70 270 348 15 57.7 +/- 2.34 2.64 ±0.026 No
Literature 11 70.3 296 379 15 60 2.83 No
Error 0.43% 8.8% 8.4% 0% 2.6% - 7.7% 5.8% - 7.6% -

Based on the overall numerical results and the eye observations, it was determined that the material
was 2011 Aluminum by narrowing down the possibilities using a material database. Table 4
summarizes the findings and the literature values of the 2011-T3 aluminum. Moreover, the 2000
series of aluminum has a principle element of copper while the last three digits (i.e. 011) refers to
the composition of the alloy. In addition, the letter “T” means that the alloy was thermally treated.
The “3” number refers to the process of the thermal treatment. In this case, the solution of
aluminum was heat treated, cold worked, and naturally aged 12. Furthermore, the error was
calculated using (Eqn.6).

|Experimental Value − Literature Value|

Error % = x 100 Eqn. (6)
Literature Value

The maximum error that was found is 8.8% which is reasonable for these type of tests. However,
it is hard to rely on numerical values only with no human observation input. Luckily, the aluminum
is easily identified due to the wide range of use in everyday life. These tests provide a more precise
of the metal in terms of the composition, heat treatment used, and mechanical properties.
Furthermore, chemical tests may carry out to determine the elements of the alloys and the % weight
if mechanical and physical tests were not able to identify an unknown material.

Conclusion

The purpose of this lab was achieved which was to identify an unknown sample. The mechanical
and physical tests were able to determine the material by determining the mechanical and physical
properties. Although some materials might have an identical property, conducting more tests will
eliminate the problem. Moreover, it was hard to obtain results that identical to a known material
due to the nature of these tests and the possible errors. However, the results may be relied on since
lots of factors that may slightly change the behavior of the unknown material such as the heat
treatment of the metal, the testing temperature, and the density measurement. In general, the
calculated errors were small enough to conclude that the material was 2011-T3 aluminum. The
heat treatment was identified by comparing micrographs of heat treated aluminums to the
micrographs of the unknown sample.

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References
1. Instron. "Tensile Testing." Tensile Testing - Instron. Accessed April 20, 2018.
http://www.instron.us/en-us/our-company/library/test-types/tensile-test.

2. Wiederhorn S.M. et al. 2011. Mechanical Properties. In: Czichos H., Saito T., Smith
L. (eds) Springer Handbook of Metrology and Testing. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
DOI: https://doi-org.librarylink.uncc.edu/10.1007/978-3-642-16641-9_7

3. Herrmann, Konrad, ed. 2010. Hardness Testing: Principles and Applications. Materials
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.librarylink.uncc.edu/lib/uncc-
ebooks/detail.action?docID=3002452#

4. Xu, Terry. 2018.” Lecture 05: Hardness Measurement” MEGR3152: Mechanics and
Materials Labs.

5. Day, Martha, and Anthony Carpi. 2017. "Density | General Science." Vision learning.
Accessed April 20, 2018. https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/General-
Science/3/Density/37.

6. Xu, Terry. 2018.” Lecture 10: Unknown Samples” MEGR3152: Mechanics and
Materials Labs.

7. Xu, Terry, Hodgins, Garry and Chen, Xiaoxue. 2018. “Lab 1: Tensile Test of Metals.”
MEGR 3152 Mechanics and Materials Lab Instruction for Students.

8. Xu, Terry, Hodgins, Garry and Chen, Xiaoxue. 2018. “Lab 3: Metallography.” MEGR
3152 Mechanics and Materials Lab Instruction for Students.

9. Xu, Terry, Hodgins, Garry and Chen, Xiaoxue. 2018. “Lab 4: Hardness of Metals.”
MEGR 3152 Mechanics and Materials Lab Instruction for Students.

10. Xu, Terry, Hodgins, Garry and Chen, Xiaoxue. 2018. “Unknown Samples.” MEGR 3152
Mechanics and Materials Lab Instruction for Students.

11. Matweb. Aluminum 2011-T3. Accessed April 20, 2018.

http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet_print.aspx?matguid=8c05024423d64aaab0148
295c5a57067.

12. AlcoTec. Understanding The Alloys Of Aluminum. Accessed April 21, 2018.
http://www.alcotec.com/us/en/education/knowledge/techknowledge/understanding-the-
alloys-of-aluminum.cfm.

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Appendices

Figure 5: Picture of first page of test plan from the notebook used in unknown sample lab

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Figure 6: Picture of second page of test plan from the notebook used in unknown sample lab

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