What is Tensile: Definition and 168 Discussions

In physics, tension is described as the pulling force transmitted axially by the means of a string, a cable, chain, or similar object, or by each end of a rod, truss member, or similar three-dimensional object; tension might also be described as the action-reaction pair of forces acting at each end of said elements. Tension could be the opposite of compression.
At the atomic level, when atoms or molecules are pulled apart from each other and gain potential energy with a restoring force still existing, the restoring force might create what is also called tension. Each end of a string or rod under such tension could pull on the object it is attached to, in order to restore the string/rod to its relaxed length.
In physics, tension, as a transmitted force, as an action-reaction pair of forces, or as a restoring force, may be a force and has the units of force measured in newtons (or sometimes pounds-force). The ends of a string or other object transmitting tension will exert forces on the objects to which the string or rod is connected, in the direction of the string at the point of attachment. These forces due to tension are also called "passive forces". There are two basic possibilities for systems of objects held by strings: either acceleration is zero and the system is therefore in equilibrium, or there is acceleration, and therefore a net force is present in the system.

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  1. Roman Kozak

    I Load on a Horizontal Wire (Zip line)

    I am creating a horizontal zip line, in which a rider will be pulled with a rocket engine. Completely serious. One end of the wire will be secured to a tractor and the other to a large tree. The zip line will be made from 12.5 gauge (2 mm) galvanized class 3 200 KPSI minimum tensile strength...
  2. gravityripple

    Newton's Third Law -- Normal vs. Tensile as Opposite of mg?

    Hello, I am returning to college after a ten year hiatus and am taking an online course on edx to try and refresh my knowledge a bit before the fall. I read a few other posts on Newton's Third law, but it seems I am falling short on this one concept. In the case of an object, m_1, which is at...
  3. B

    Tensile Test Specimen Point of Failure

    I am a part C Mechanical Engineering student and have been undertaking a project investigating the strain sensitivity of a particular glass filled composite. From my quasi-static results, the stress-strain curves seem to be reasonable and match that of the mechanical material properties...
  4. Q

    I have this real graphic from a tensile test

    Homework Statement How can I calculate the ultimate stress? (I refere to the stress that it's in the green rectangle). I have a real graphic, I have two deformations, (it was 2 test, from the same material) and only one stress. The orange curve is Stress versus unit deformation 1, and the gray...
  5. R

    Tensile Stress-Strain: Ultimate Strain of Plain Concrete

    Hi If i have the stress-strain curve of concrete(compression) then how do i plot the SS curve for tension with reference with tangent modulus or secant modulus?? what is the ultimate tensile strain of plain concrete?
  6. 1

    The strain of a dog-bone specimen

    Homework Statement A dog-bone specimen made by aluminum alloy is used for tensile testing by a force of 4000N via two steel pins. The dimension of the specimen is shown in the following picture; the thickness of specimen and the length of pins are 4mm and 8mm, respectively. The mechanical...
  7. T

    Computing max tensile and compressive stress in a bar

    Homework Statement I've used all the proper equations and done all the work with no problem. My only question is when computing the maximum stress, how do I know which one is the tensile and which on is the compressive? I've attached all my work and came out with Max stress = 3.84 Mpa and Max...
  8. I

    Tensile Stress Analysis of Bolted Connection

    Determine the tensile stress in the bolted connection shown below for the load F = 210 kN. Using a safety factor of 2, determine whether the plates will fail or not if the yield strength of the plate material is 270 MPa and the thickness of the plate is 12 mm. The nominal diameter of the bolts...
  9. T

    Can an Allen Wrench Withstand Maximum Force Before Breaking?

    Hello, I was wondering if anyone here knew of (or could come up with) an equation relating the tensile strength and the maximum force that could be applied to an allen wrench? Any help is appreciated.
  10. T

    Tensile Strength & Bending Stress of Metal Sheet

    Dear Friends, Merry Christmas to All. I am pleased to join this forum of Physics Experts. Please advise what is difference between tensile Strength and Bending Stress of Metal Sheets (Generally below 3.00mm and lighter). I very often encounter with cracking of steel sheets while bending in...
  11. G

    Tensile Stress and shear stress

    Suppose, a mild steel bar is being pulled from both ends.The stress acting on it will be tensile in nature.There is no compressive stress on material in this situation.When the pull exceeds material's yield strength,plastic deformation and strain hardening will occur.If pulling force is...
  12. R

    Forces along a rope vs. along a stiff bar

    Hi. I'm trying to figure out what the forces will be in two differing circumstances. ROPE Let's say at one end a person is pulling a rope to the left with 120N force. At the other end a person pulling with 120N force. I know the tensile force inside the rope is 120N at any point along the rope...
  13. J

    Calculating Tensile Lap Shear Strength: How Can I Determine the Shear Area?

    Hi, I am new to the tensile testing and still learning and would really appreciate the answer to a problem that I have been having. I performed a lap-shear test on two foils of copper bonded in single lap joint. The copper broke before the bond does giving me a force of say 500N. I want to...
  14. A

    Ultimate Tensile strength of ductile materials

    In case of ductile materials we know that there is a substantial difference between the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength. As long as the specimen stress is below the yield strength we need not worry about engineering stress and true stress, as they as essentially same. But when...
  15. davidbenari

    Tensile stress, and youngs modulus.

    I'm studying elasticity right now in my chemistry class, and I'm confused as to what exactly tensile stress (and maybe compression stress too ) might mean. It's given in N/m^2. And you're stretching the material. Is the cypher I'm given indicative of what's happening only one side? Indicative...
  16. PetePetePete

    Stress and Strain Coursework Question

    I am struggling with a question in my coursework, and would appreciate some guidance. The question is: The component shown in Fig 1 is made from a material with the following properties and is subjected to a compressive force of 5kN. Material Properties : Young’s Modulus of Elasticity – 200...
  17. J

    Stress in a plate under tensile load

    Hello everyone ! Homework Statement In an isotropic aluminum plate (L = 200 mm, b = 50 mm, t = 1 mm), an additionally aluminum plate (l = 50mm, b = 50mm, tV = 0.5 mm) is glued in the center area. The plate is loaded in the y-direction with a normal force of Ny = 10000 N. Calculate the...
  18. C

    Understanding the Impact of Tensile Force on Objects of Different Lengths

    Hello guys! Please can someone answer my dilema. Lets say we have two apples on tree. Apple A and apple B. And on those apples are attached same weight object. Only difference is length of string. Here is the link to the image: http://postimg.org/image/oayj18nk7/ Which one will...
  19. B

    Maximum tensile stress on rod with eccentric rotating tensile load

    I was solving this paper, but got stuck on this question, and it's been bugging me endlessly. I don't know what I'm missing. Here's the question: A rod of 20 dia is fixed to the ceiling of a roof on one end. A rotor of 50 kg mass is attached to the free end with bearings. The CG of the rotor...
  20. N

    Is 55,059 PSI a Safe Tensile Stress Level for Steel Wires?

    Homework Statement A cable containing 37 strands of 0.0250" diameter steel wire successfully supports 1000 lb load in tension. Calculate tensile stress? Do you think this is a reasonable and safe design stress level?Homework Equations tensile stress = F/A The Attempt at a Solution A = [...
  21. S

    Calculating Ultimate Tensile Strength?

    Homework Statement A metal of cross-sectional area 3.22E-4 m2 is being tested in compression. At an engineering strain of 20%, the compression load of the sample is determined to be 25000lb. Calculate the true stress and true strain at that point. Assume sigma=A(epsilon)N where the strain...
  22. Z

    Did a Shear-Tensile Failure Cause the Wire Rope Accident?

    I have been photographing wires hanging from utility poles that have tangled with and caused automobile accidents. One of these is a puzzle the detail shows a wire from a 7 strand wire rope made out of aluminum. It was too dangerous at the time to anything but drag the wire out of the road and...
  23. C

    Are there any existing experiments for non-axial tensile testing?

    Hi guys, So say I want to perform tensile tests on a bolt, but want to see what the effect of applying the load at various angles to the axis of the bolt would be. It's kindabutnotreally a shear test... I realize that if I had complete knowledge of the material properties of the bolt I...
  24. marellasunny

    Glass compressive and tensile stress

    http://www.glassalchemy.com/media/upload/image/stressfig1.gif In the manufacturing of glass(flat glass),the outside cools first followed by the inside.So,this means that the outer surfaces compresses on the hot inner surface.What I don't understand is how the tensile stresses are developed on...
  25. N

    Tensile Overpressure: How to Trap a Liquid-Filled Fracture?

    Hello, I'm working on how liquid-filled fractures can propagates or be trapped. I understand that the driving pressure of liquid : Pd = Pm - sigma3 sigma 3 = minimum compressional stress Pm = (rho_fluid*g*z) + Po = fluid pressure inside the fracture rho_fluid*g*z = weight of the fluid...
  26. S

    Tensile strength of a cord winding

    Homework Statement Hi Can someone please tell me how to set equations for the following problem: A cord of length L is wound on a hollow bobbin (inner radius r and outer radius R). Cord on cord friction (static) coefficient (Ctc) and cord on bobbin (Ctb) friction (static) coefficient...
  27. L

    What is the relationship between stress and load for a 19mm shaft?

    I have been given this question by my teacher as part of a quiz and I'm confused on how to start. 1. Calculate the maximum working tensile load that a 19mm shaft is able to take with a safety factor of 3. Material UTS 470 Mpa 2. Stress = load/area When it states 'area' what is this the are of...
  28. K

    Shear and tensile force questions

    suppose i have 4 solids like this: and the solid have shear stress and tensile stress 12N/mm2 and 15N/mm2 respectively, suppose i know the area of each surface, how can i judge whether this solid is able to withstand 20N load? what kind of formula should i use?
  29. 1

    Calculating Tensile Strength of Stainless Steel Sample

    Hello, Just want to check that I am calculating something correctly if this is ok; I did a tensile test with some rectangular stainless steel samples and got the resulting max force reached for each sample. if the max force experienced was 410N and the samples CSA is 2mm^2 then the...
  30. A

    How to find Tensile & compressive force

    hello guys i am student of mechanical engineering final year.i workout how to find tensile and compressive force of square bar & which point has a maximum forces workout. following parameters are known which are listed below.please solved my problem... Parameters that are known Area of the...
  31. S

    3D Printed Tensile Structures in Space

    I was looking at this demonstration of a new kind of 3D printer: and I was wondering if this approach to 3D printing could be useful for creating structures in space, perhaps in Low Earth Orbit. I was wondering how these tensile types of structures could be put to practical use in space...
  32. AJKing

    Largest mass for Ultimate Tensile Strength

    Vibrations and Waves, A.P. French, questions 3-9 Please /do not/ provide full solutions. Just suggestions. Homework Statement A solid steel ball is hung at the bottom of a steel wire of length 2m and radius 1mm, the ultimate strength of steel is 1.1E9 N/m2. What are the radius and mass of the...
  33. G

    Tensile stress, radius and Young's modulus

    Homework Statement An Aluminum cable of length 3.5m has 15,000 N tensile force acting on it if the wire is only allowed to be stretched by 1mm before it breaks, What must be the radius of the wire if the Young's modulus of Al is 6.9 x 10^10 N/m^2? I am also supposed to find the tensile...
  34. N

    Determine the Maximum Tensile and Compressive Stresses in the Beam

    Homework Statement Two vertical forces are applied to a beam of the cross section shown. Determine the maximum tensile and compressive stresses in portion BC of the beam I have attached an image of the question Homework Equations σ = P/A +/- My/Ix Ix = Ix + Ad2 ---> parallel axis theorem...
  35. H

    Help with data from tensile test

    Hi Just got the data from a tensile strength test on a axle we did in school. Before it broke: http://i.imgur.com/1ddrZ7j.png The data : https://www.dropbox.com/s/xf5m8m8gyco561n/data.txt column 1: the displacement in mm column 2: the force in kNI'm supposed to plot a stress strain diagram...
  36. A

    Calculate the tensile stress anpplied at maximum load

    (a) The steel cable to the hoist is 15m in length and has a diameter of 25mm. Its steel has a maximum permissible working stress of 200N/mm2 and a Young’s modulus of elasticity of 210,000N/mm2. The maximum load allowed on the hoist is 75kN. Determine the following:- (i) the cross-sectional...
  37. B

    Finding elongation of bar and maximum tensile stress

    Homework Statement L=52 in A=2.76 in^2 E=10.4*10^6 psi Homework Equations σ=F/A ε=σ/E δ=εLThe Attempt at a Solution 4) σAB = (3P)/A ε=(3P)/(AE) δAB=(3PL)/(6AE) → δAB=(PL)/(2AE) solving for P P=[0.17*2*2.76*(10.4*106)]/52 → P=187680 lb → P=187.7 kip 5) Because AB and CD are in tension i...
  38. C

    What material has the lowest tensile strength?

    kevlar has the greatest tensile strength(yield strength here) in all materials at 3620 MPa , am i correct? and i want to know which material has the least tensile strength(yield strngth)..
  39. A

    Initial yield stress Vs. tensile strength

    Are those the same? if not, how do I calculate the initial yield stress from the tensile strength? all the materials properties I see on the web only specify tensile strength, and I need the initial yield stress as an input on non-linear FEA analysis. Is it possible to extract the initial yield...
  40. S

    Is permissible stress and tensile strength the same?

    Hi, I am trying to find out if permissible stress and tensile are the same.If not,what is their relation?Thank you.
  41. P

    Tensile stress given theta and force

    Tensile stress given theta and force (I'm kinda desperate) Homework Statement Aluminum wire is lightweight. You can hang a piece of it nearly horizontally with very little tension. After having done so, you then hang a HEAVY (25 kg) block from the wire. The wire sags to make an angle of 12...
  42. A

    Youngs modulus vs Ultimate tensile strength

    In case FEA we consider ultimate tensile strength to decide whether component will fail OR pass why ultimate tensile strength is lesser than youngs modulus? Example for copper UTS is 245 MPa n youngs moduls 131000MPa. Why it is like this? Regards, Amlesh
  43. A

    Trying to find the Tensile Pressure in a Rotating Disk

    OK, so I'm trying to build a hyper-fast rotating disk, probably of aluminum. The tensile strength is about 200MPa (note that this is a pressure, which makes sense), and I'm trying to calculate the tensile pressure throughout the disk. The point being to find out how fast I can spin the thing...
  44. J

    Tensile stress with unequal forces

    I need to find the stress σ (defined as normal force/area, in N/m^2) for the following simple situation. The forces are not equal. I can't wrap my head around what's going on - the whole system should be accelerated, so what's the final force that should be used for calculating the stress?
  45. B

    Tensile force in elevator problem

    Homework Statement Two blocks, each of mass m are hung from the ceiling of an elevator as in the figure below. The elevator has an upward acceleration a. The strings have negligible mass. http://imageshack.us/a/img856/2241/5p031.gif Find the tensions T1 and T2 in terms of m, a, and g...
  46. S

    Questions regarding Tensile Testing of metal

    Can anyone explain me how the load is applied to a metal specimen during tensile test? I am confused because I read in my textbook that after the ultimate stress is achieved and if the load is continued, then the metal specimen fails. But from the stress-strain diagram, we can see that the...
  47. C

    Metal tensile strength question

    I have some 1/4" thick 304 stainless steel formed in a 90 degree "L" shape (2 1/4" up x 2" flat x 2" wide. What force is required to bend pc beyound 90 degree mark (let's say to the 100 degree mark)
  48. M

    Uni-axial Tensile Testing of Deformed Bars

    ASTM provides standards for testing that's obvious enough if talk about the standard specimen profile; but idk that some specimen ,for instance round bars, are recommended to have a standard Dog Bone specimen but in case of deformed bar we don't have any special specimen. Tensile tests are...
  49. S

    How do I work out ultimate tensile stress?

    Hey guys! I'm really stuck and would be grateful for any help. I'm a postgraduate researcher, though not a physicist so this may be a relatively simple problem for some of you (I hope!). I use a program called Bluehill which is coupled with an Instron machine. The instron is a mechanical...
  50. J

    Solving for tensile test(materials) in FEM software

    Homework Statement I have to solve for the stress-strain curve of a tensile test(materials science) given the following data: d0 = 10 [mm]; d=9.925[mm] (average after d1' and d1'') and L0 = 100[mm]; I have already solved the problem and charted the diagrams. But I would be most grateful if...
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