Understanding the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys is useful for the designer for choosing the best alloy and establishing appropriate allowable stress values, and for the aluminum producer to control the fabrication processes. This article discusses the nature and significance of mechanical property data and of stress-strain curves detailing the effects of mechanical properties on the design and selection of aluminum alloys. The properties include tensile, compressive, shear, bearing, creep and creep-rupture, fatigue, and fracture resistance properties.

Understanding the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys is useful for the designer for choosing the best alloy and establishing appropriate allowable stress values, and for the aluminum producer to control the fabrication processes. This article discusses the nature and significance of mechanical property data and of stress-strain curves detailing the effects of mechanical properties on the design and selection of aluminum alloys. The properties include tensile, compressive, shear, bearing, creep and creep-rupture, fatigue, and fracture resistance properties.

Alloy 2099 is a third-generation Al-Cu-Li alloy providing an improved combination of strength, elastic modulus, and fatigue crack growth resistance. This datasheet provides information on its key alloy metallurgy and the effects of processing on its mechanical properties.

This article describes a method to predict mechanical properties of cast iron materials and illustrates how to use the predictions in computer-aided tools for the analysis of castings subjected to load. It outlines some ways to predict the hardness and elastic modulus of cast iron without going into dislocation theory. The article discusses modeling of hardness in cast iron based on a regular solution equation in which the properties of each phase depend on chemical composition and coarseness. It describes the evaluation of material parameters from the tensile stress-strain curve. The article concludes with an illustration of a finite-element method (FEM) model containing heterogeneous mechanical properties using local material definitions.

The main factors affecting the mechanical properties of compacted graphite irons both at room temperatures and at elevated temperatures are composition, structure (nodularity and matrix), and section size. This article presents a comparison between some properties of flake graphite (FG), compacted graphite (CG), and spheroidal graphite (SG) irons in a table. It discusses the effects of composition, structure, and section size on the mechanical properties of compacted graphite irons. The compressive and shear properties, modulus of elasticity, impact properties, fatigue strength, and elevated-temperature properties of compacted graphite irons are also reviewed.

This article describes the physical properties of powder metallurgy (PM) stainless steels. These include thermal diffusivity, conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient, Poisson's ratio, and elastic modulus. The article contains a table that lists the characteristics of various grades of PM stainless steels. It discusses the applications of various PM stainless steels such as rearview mirror brackets, anti-lock brake system sensor rings, and automotive exhaust flanges and sensor bosses.

Gray irons are a group of cast irons that form flake graphite during solidification, in contrast to the spheroidal graphite morphology of ductile irons. The heat treatment of gray irons can considerably alter the matrix microstructure with little or no effect on the size and shape of the graphite achieved during casting. This article provides a detailed account of classes of gray iron, and heat treating methods of gray irons with examples. These methods include stress relieving, annealing, normalizing, transformation hardening, austenitizing, quenching, austempering, martempering, flame hardening, induction hardening, and nitriding.

Torsion tests can be carried out on most materials, using standard specimens, to determine mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity in shear, yield shear strength, ultimate shear strength, modulus of rupture in shear, and ductility. This article discusses the torsional deformation of prismatic bars of circular cross-section and torsional response of prismatic bars of noncircular cross-section. It analyzes the elastic deformation, plastic deformation, and the effect of strain rate on plastic deformation. The article describes the theory of anisotropy in plastic torsion and the various components of a torsion testing machine. These include drive system, test section, torque and rotational displacement transducers, and rigid frame.

This article provides a practical reference guide for instrumented indentation testing (IIT). It summarizes the various types of indenters used in IIT and parameters describing their geometries. The article discusses the physical principles and models used to determine hardness and elastic modulus from indentation load displacement data. Indentation deformation can be time-dependent, with the extent and nature of the time dependence strongly influenced by temperature. The article examines the methods for probing and characterizing the time-dependent phenomena. It also emphasizes the better-developed measurement techniques and procedures and calibrations required to obtain accurate and meaningful measurements.

Bend tests are conducted to determine the ductility or strength of a material. This article discusses the different bend tests with emphasis on test methods, apparatuses, procedures, specimen preparation, and interpretation and reporting of results. The types of bend tests discussed are bending ductility tests, bending strength tests (ASTM E 855), bend tests as per EN 12384 and JIS 3130, and computer-aided bending tests. The three standard bending strength tests are the cantilever beam bend test, the three-point bend test, and the four-point bend test. European Standard EN 12384 specifies a bend test to determine the modulus of elasticity in bending. Japanese Industrial Standard JIS 3130 specifies two tests to determine the elastic limit of spring plate or strip: the repeated deflection spring test and the moment type spring test.

The design of structural components with nominally brittle materials is largely determined by their elastic moduli, density, and tensile strength. This article discusses some of the factors involved in the design and reliability through considerations of toughness and ductility of nominally brittle materials. It describes toughening by various bridging mechanisms, as well as process zone effects and their interaction with the bridging rupture zone. The article explains the phenomena that give rise to exceptional toughness and notch-insensitive mechanical behavior. It provides a schematic illustration of a basic cell model to characterize the inelastic strains that occur in ceramic-matrix composites and their dependence on the interface friction.