Laboratory #1

Mechanical Engineering Lab Procedures

1. Using the tensile tester, measure the failure of individual metal (aluminum, steel) and plastic (polycarbonate) samples. The data collected from the tensile tester is Force (N) and elongation (mm). Measure the width, thickness, and length of the samples.
2. Using the tensile tester, measure the failure of the cable connecting the iPod to the ear buds that was described in the Week 1 Threaded Discussion. The data collected from the tensile tester is Force (N) and elongation (mm). Measure the diameter and length of the cable, and calculate the area of the cable.
3. Calculate the stress (Force/Area) and strain (Elongation/Length) for all samples.
4. Plot the stress/strain curves for all samples. If possible, plot them all on the same graph to compare the behavior of the metal, plastic, and cable samples.
5. Perform curve fitting of your data to determine the slope of the line in the linear portion of the data. The slope is the elastic modulus (E) of the material.
6. Compare your experimental results of E to the theoretical calculation of E, using data from reference material for the metal and plastic.
7. Describe any differences between theory and experiment, and discuss possible sources of error in this experiment.

Mechanical Engineering Lab Report

1. Introduction (Why?)
2. Experimental Procedures (How?)
3. Data from tensile experiment (What?)
   plot Force vs elongation graphs for iPod cable, aluminum, steel, plastic
4. Results & Discussion (So What?)
   plot Stress vs strain graphs for iPod cable, aluminum, steel, plastic
   perform curve fitting and calculate E
   compare E from your graphs to E from internet data
   discuss sources of error
5. Conclusions
6. References

Lab Report Template

Please download and read the Lab Report Template in Shared Documents. The document describes the required sections of the lab report in more detail.

Lab Report Grading (200 points)

• Heading (5 points)
• Title (5 points)
• Introduction (25 points)
• Experimental Procedures (25 points)
• Data (50 points)
• Results & Discussion (50 points)
• Conclusion (25 points)