Mechanical properties of Aluminium (experiment and finite element analysis)

Abstract

Aluminium are the material that can be failure when the force applied with plastic deformation. Mechanical properties of a material describe how it will be reacting to physical forces. Tensile test is commonly used to evaluate the properties such as ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elastic modulus, fracture stress and others. The important in the mechanical testing is the strain measurement. There are several techniques of strain measurement namely the crosshead motion, strain gauge, and extensometer. The purpose of this study is to compare the behaviour of material that obtained from experiment and finite element analysis. Three specimens of aluminium are used in experiment. The simulation of FEA by CATIA and ABAQUS are used to predict the reaction of the material when applied the force. The comparison between two methods, experiment and simulation show the difference on elongation of the specimen in elastic deformation when the same force are applied. According to the result, ABAQUS provided the best result than CATIA if compared to the experimental result. The error of the result are influence by a few factors. The technique of strain measurement is the main factor that causes the difference of the value for elongation because the crosshead motion are less in accuracy in measurement. Besides, the type of element and number of meshing also another factor that influence the result of FEA.