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Designation: A 938 – 97

Standard Test Method for

Torsion Testing of Wire1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation A 938; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope 5.1.3 The clamping heads shall clamp the wire firmly, but
1.1 This test method describes the torsion (or twist) testing should not damage it to the extent that fracture occurs at the
of metallic wire. clamping point during twisting. The distance between the
1.2 The values stated in U.S. customary units are to be clamps is the test length. The wire shall be twisted only along
regarded as the standard. The SI equivalents of U.S. customary the test length, and not at the point of clamping. These
units may be approximate. requirements can be satisfied by bending a short section at each
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the end of the specimen to an angle of about 90° to the wire axis,
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the as described in 6.3.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- 5.2 Revolution Counter—A mechanism to count the number
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- of twists shall be provided.
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 5.3 Protective Shield—A protective shield shall be provided
to protect the operator from flying fragments in cases when the
2. Referenced Documents wire breaks into more than two pieces.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
6. Specimen Preparation
E 6 Terminology Relating to Methods of Mechanical Test-
ing2 6.1 Straightening—The test piece, consisting of a length of
wire, should be straight before being tested. If straightening is
3. Terminology necessary, it shall, unless otherwise specified, be done by hand.
3.1 Definitions—The definitions related to torsion testing Other straightening techniques are permitted provided surface
appearing in Terminology E 6 shall be considered as applying damage is avoided. Since the shear stress is maximum at the
to the terms used in this test method. surface of the wire during testing, even slight surface damage
such as pits or scratches can cause early fracture, and the
4. Significance and Use results may not be indicative of the full capability of the wire.
4.1 The complex stress and strain conditions that occur in NOTE 1—During straightening, it is important that the properties and
the sample during the torsion test are sensitive to minor cross section remain unchanged as far as possible. In particular, the
variations in materials, making the torsion test a useful tool in specimen shall not be subjected to any twisting.
assessing wire ductility under torsional loading. 6.2 Test Length :
5. Apparatus 6.2.1 Recommended test length is 8 in. (203 mm) (distance
between the clamping heads). Sufficient material must also be
5.1 Clamping Heads: provided to allow for gripping.
5.1.1 The torsion test apparatus must have clamping heads 6.2.2 Other test lengths may be used as agreed upon
that will remain coaxial (within 10°) during the test. between the producer and purchaser or as specified in the
5.1.2 One clamping head shall be easily displaceable in the appropriate product specification.
direction of the wire axis. This longitudinally displaceable 6.2.3 When a test length other than 8 in. (203 mm) is used,
clamping head shall be equipped with a device capable of the minimum torsions shall be revised in direct proportion to
applying the necessary tensile load. the change in the jaw spacing, or as determined by the
following formula:
~ TL ! ~ Lx !
Tx 5 (1)
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A-1 on Steel, ~ LL !
Stainless Steel, and Related Alloys and is the direct responsibility of A1.03on Steel
Rod and Wire. where:
Current edition approved Nov. 10, 1997. Published September 1998. Originally Tx = minimum torsions for new length,
published as E 558 – 75. Last previous edition A 938 – 83 (1994)e1.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 03.01.
TL = minimum torsions for 8 in. (203 mm) length,

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1
 NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
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A 938 – 97

Lx = new length, and TABLE 1 Recommended Tensile Forces to be Applied to Wire

During Torsion Testing
LL = 8 in. (203 mm).
6.3 End Preparation—To prevent the gripped ends from Wire Size Applied Tensile
slipping tangentially in the clamps, a minimum of 1⁄2 in. (12.7 Nominal Diameter ForceA
mm) of each end of the wire is often bent approximately 90° to in. mm lb. N
the axis of the test sample. The end sections need not be exactly 0.011 to 0.016 0.28 to 0.42 1 4
parallel to each other. See Fig. 1. 0.017 to 0.020 0.43 to 0.52 2 9
0.021 to 0.030 0.53 to 0.77 4 18
7. Procedure 0.031 to 0.040 0.78 to 1.02 6 27
0.041 to 0.050 1.03 to 1.28 8 36
7.1 Tensile Force—Clamp the specimen in the clamps of the 0.051 to 0.060 1.29 to 1.53 9 40
test apparatus with its longitudinal axis coaxial with the 0.061 to 0.070 1.54 to 1.79 11 49
0.071 to 0.080 1.80 to 2.04 12 58
clamping heads and in such a manner that the specimen 0.081 to 0.090 2.05 to 2.30 16 71
remains as straight as possible during testing (see 5.1.1). 0.091 to 0.100 2.31 to 2.55 19 85
Unless specified otherwise, this can be accomplished by 0.101 to 0.110 2.56 to 2.80 21 93
0.111 to 0.120 2.81 to 3.06 23 102
applying a small tensile force to the specimen. This force 0.121 to 0.160 3.07 to 4.06 25 111
should be just sufficient to prevent the specimen from deflect- A
For sizes larger than 0.160 in., the tensile force of 1% of the nominal maximum
ing away from the axis of rotation during twisting. Recom- load of the wire is recommended.
mended tensile forces are shown in Table 1.
7.2 Speed of Twisting—The speed of testing should be such TABLE 2 Recommended Maximum Twisting Speeds per 100
that the wire is not heated appreciably during the test since Wire Diameters of Gage Length
excessive speed results in a lowering of torsion values.
Recommended maximum speeds are shown in Table 2. Wire Diameter, in. (mm) Twisting Speed (Rpm)

7.3 Number of Turns: < 0.040 (1.02) 90

0.040 to < 0.142 (1.02 to < 3.61) 60
7.3.1 After placing the test specimen in the machine, rotate 0.142 and larger (3.61 and larger) 30
one clamp at a reasonably constant speed until the test
specimen fractures, defined as a complete separation of the
broken ends. 8.1.2 Wire diameter,
7.3.2 If the number of turns is satisfactory, the test specimen 8.1.3 Test length, including fractional turns when appli-
is considered as having passed the test, regardless of the cable, and
position of fracture, defined as complete separation of the 8.1.4 Total turns to fracture.
broken ends. If the number of turns does not satisfy the
requirements of the specification, and the initial fracture, NOTE 3—If a minimum number of turns is specified and this number is
defined as complete separation of the broken ends, location is exceeded, the test need not be continued to fracture. It is then sufficient to
record that no fracture occurred.
within two times the wire diameter from the clamps, the test is
considered invalid and shall be repeated. 9. Precision and Bias
NOTE 2—Specimens often break into more than two pieces, subsequent 9.1 Precision—Sufficient multilaboratory tests have not
fractures resulting from the rapid untwisting of the wire following the been compared to establish the reproducibility of this test
initial fracture. In many cases, the initial fracture will have a smooth method. Test variables that affect precision include: (1) initial
surface perpendicular to the wire axis. The above validity test applies only
to the location of this initial break.
length and straightness of the wire, (2) the amount of tensile
stress, (3) the speed of testing, and (4) location of the fracture.
8. Report 9.2 Bias—Determination of the bias of a test method
8.1 The following information shall be included in the test requires reference standard values for one or more materials
report: based on many measurements. Such standard reference values
8.1.1 Specimen identification, are not available for this test method. Therefore, the bias of the
method is not known.

10. Keywords
10.1 coaxial clamping; fracture; revolution counter; test
FIG. 1 Sketch Showing 90° Bends at Ends of Wire Twist Test length; torsion; torsion testing; twisting rates; wire; wire axis;
Specimen wire ductility

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NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.

A 938 – 97

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