Summary of Test
ASTM B557 is a testing standard that covers the tension testing requirements of wrought and cast aluminum- and magnesium-alloy products, excepting aluminum foil (see test method E345 for aluminum foil test requirements).
This method determines the strength and ductility of these materials under uniaxial tensile stresses. A high-capacity universal testing machine that conforms to the requirements of Practices E4 should be used to conduct this test. Although various types of grips can be used for gripping the samples, the recommended grips are wedge grips with serrated inserts. Prior to conducting ASTM B557, it is important to read the entire specification in the relevant ASTM publication.
Recommended Equipment
Testing Procedure
- Cut and prepare samples as described in the standard. Rectangular, round or pin-loaded specimens may be used. Refer to the recommended dimensions tables for each sample type in the publication.
- Measure the cross-sectional dimensions of the specimen and mark the gauge length. These values should then be entered into MTESTQuattro with the corresponding specimen geometry selected. Load the specimen into your tensile grips. Attach the clip-on extensometer for strain calculations.
- Apply tensile load and begin grip separation. Unless otherwise specified, any convenient speed of testing may be used up to one half the specified yield strength, or up to one quarter the specified tensile strength, whichever is smaller. Once these limits have been reached, the testing speed shall be specified by the standard.
- Remove the extensometer prior to specimen fracture. ADMET’s MTESTQuattro controller will stop the machine and a warning message will pop up asking the user to remove the extensometer. The speed may be increased after the removal of extensometer, but it should not exceed 0.5 in/in of reduced section per minute.
- To determine the elongation after fracture, fit ends of the fractured specimen together and measure the distance between the initial gauge marks.
Just Ask!
Questions about running ASTM B557 on your system?
