Lesson One - Plan - Materials

School of Materials Science and
Engineering
The Bending Test
Materials testing is a fundamental part of Materials Science and Engineering, in understanding

the limits of materials through determining their physical and mechanical properties. The
information collected during laboratory experimentations are useful to engineers and researchers
in helping to determine the appropriate materials for various applications.
For Stage 6 Engineering Studies, this experiment covers the following syllabus points: P/H1.2,
P/H2.1 and P/H3.1
There are many tests that can be performed on materials to determine their properties. The tests
can be either destructive or non-destructive. Destructive tests are often conducted to determine a
specific property of the material/component being tested. They usually require a specifically
shaped test piece to be made and this is damaged/destroyed during testing. Examples of
destructive tests are tensile tests, bending tests, impact tests, and fatigue tests. Hardness tests
are also done on test pieces (destructive). Additionally, hardness tests are often done on actual
components (non-destructive). Non-destructive testing, as the name suggests, does not damage
the material or component during testing and it can still be used following tests without changes
in quality or property. These tests are usually done during service of the component to ensure
the material properties haven’t changed over time and is still safe to use in its application.
Examples of non-destructive tests are dye penetrant testing, X-ray testing, gamma ray testing,
magnetic particle testing and ultrasonic testing.
The 3-point bending test, also known as flexural testing or transverse beam testing, measures the
behaviour of materials in a simple beam loading geometry. This type of testing provides information
on how materials respond to a combination of tension, compression and shear forces, and the results
are useful in structural and civil engineering. Properties that can be calculated from the bending test
include flexural stress, flexural strain, elastic modulus and the fracture toughness. It should be noted
that the material properties collected from the bending test will be different to the data collected from
other forms of testings, such as tensile and compressive, due to different loading geometries. Like the
3-point bending test, 4-point bending test and the cantilever bending test are other techniques that
can be used to study the flexural stress of materials. In particular, if the material is not homogenous,
ie. composites, the 4-point bending test provides a more complete study of the stress behaviour by
increasing the loading region on the material.
1
image source: Bruker.com
Following standards is important when performing tests to ensure objective, consistent and
comparable results and minimising errors. Standards in materials testing help make sure each test
being carried out is exactly the same, whether it is being conducted in your lab or in a high-tech
facility such as ANSTO, and the only variations are due to the property of the material.
ISO 178 is the standard describing the 3-point bending test method for plastic/polymer materials and
ASTM D6272 for 4-point bending test of polymers. The samples being tested also have to follow
standards to ensure the mechanical property results collected are comparable between tests of
different material compositions.
The 3D printed bending test rig design follows the criteria outlined in ISO 178. The material property
that can be collected from this set up are the elastic modulus, flexural stress, strain and the bending
moment.
Safety:
Safety in science and engineering is important for everyone, whether you are the one running the
experiment or an observer. Understanding methods of fracture and failure is a major component of
Materials Science and Engineering. Therefore, with the Bending Test, it is expected some samples
will break. To ensure the safety of everyone involved with the experiment, everyone in the room
where the Bending Test is being conducted should wear safety glasses and enclosed shoes. Other
than the 1-2 persons setting up the experiment – loading the sample, adding weights – other persons
should be at least one metre away from the Bending Test jig. If available, a clear acrylic shield should
be placed in front of Bending Test jig, with observers standing behind this shield and not to the side.
Method:
This experiment is about investigating how mechanical property changes for different materials, ie.
polymer, metal and wood. This experimental setup is designed to simulate tests that are conducted
on materials to understand their strength in a beam loading geometry. The results will provide
information on the material and mechanical properties. The different materials behaviour can help
scientist and engineers determine the best types of materials for different applications.
The Bending Test 2

What you need:
• 3D printed Bending Test jig – see the print instructions and recommendations on the Teacher
Resources section of our website (http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/high-school/teacher-
resources-0).
• A sample 110 - 130 mm long and no wider than 25cm or thicker than 10mm and you should
also be able to bend it fairly easy with your hands. You can use a variety of materials, from
plastic, thin sheets of metal, wood and even confectionary, just make sure you avoid brittle
materials like glass that are likely to shatter.
• Hanging weights, such as water bottles or metal graded weights.
Testing Procedure:
Ensure safety goggles are worn at all times during the experiment. Be careful of sample
fragments flying when the sample fractures.
Jig and Sample Set up

1. Place the Bending Test jig in between 2 tables (to allow space for the ruler and weights to
hang), ensuring the jig is stable (using blu-tac to stick it down, since the jig is fairly light).
2. Place a sample on the jig. Centre the sample between the bottom support pins.
3. Insert the ruler and align the 0 marking to the bottom of the bending sample and stick the ruler
to the jig (using blu-tac).
4. Slide the top loading pin onto the sample, centring it between the bottom supports. Thread the
string through the bottom of the jig.
Mechanical Property Tests

1. Attach weights to the string connected to the top loading pin until a substantial deflection is
observed (approximately 5 mm).
2. Record the weight and resulting deflection by the sample.
3. Repeat for different materials, keeping the weight constant. Observe how the amount of
deflection varies between different materials for the same weight.
4. Convert weight to force for mechanical property calculations.
Maximum Weight Test – fracture behaviour of materials

1. Use the same sample set up as the previous.
2. Continue adding weights until sample fractures.
3. Observe and describe the appearance of the fracture surface.
4. Repeat for different materials. Compare the facture surface for different samples. Discuss
how this relates to the material property of the sample.
The Bending Test 3

Results:
Material Elastic Flexural Stress Bending Fracture

Modulus and Strain Moment Surface
Example: Rough surface
PLA No change in
Cross-section cross-section
area: XXX area
Brittle fracture
The Bending Test 4

Discussion:
Question 1:
What was interesting about each material? How do they compare to each other?
(Hints: deflection length, elastic modulus, brittle / ductile behaviour)
Question 2:
Why do some materials have a higher elastic modulus? How does this impact their
applications?
(Hints: stiffness, load bearing beams, buildings, planes)
Question 3:
Will the mechanical property of the sample change if the cross-section was different? If
yes, how so?
(Hint: solid rectangular beam, hollow rectangular beam, I-beam)
Question 4:
What are the sources of errors in this experiment? What are the limitations of this testing
method?
(Hint: sensitivity of measurements, stiff materials, small scale)
The Bending Test 5

Acknowledgements
This project builds on the open source 3 point bending test platform created by Stefan Hermann of
CNC kitchen. You can download the original files at the link below and check out his YouTube
channel for some awesome material science videos relating to 3d printing!
Original files at: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3142077

Stefan’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te0Wwf7Dxj4&feature=youtu.be
Appendix: Testing in industry
Bending tests are used extensively in the Bending tests are used to determine the
electronics industry to determine the suitability stiffness of bones, so implants can have the
of components and whole products. same properties.
Source: azom.com Source: camal.ncsu.edu/
Bending test are used in food science to ensure Bending tests for large items like wooden
the consistency of products and favourable beams have to be very large and powerful
textures and properties like ‘crispiness’. and are usually done over a wide span.
Source: foodtechcorp.com Source: admet.com
The Bending Test 6

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School of Materials Science and

The Bending Test

Materials testing is a fundamental part of Materials Science and Engineering, in understanding

The Bending Test 2

Jig and Sample Set up

Mechanical Property Tests

Maximum Weight Test – fracture behaviour of materials

The Bending Test 3

Material Elastic Flexural Stress Bending Fracture

The Bending Test 4

The Bending Test 5

Original files at: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3142077

Appendix: Testing in industry

The Bending Test 6

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