Tensile strength is a measurement of theforce required to pull something such asrope,wire, or a structural beam to the point where it breaks.
The tensile strength of amaterial is the maximum amount oftensile stress that it can take before failure, for example breaking.
There are three typical definitions of tensile strength:
- Yield strength - Thestress a material can withstand without permanentdeformation. This is not a sharply defined point. Yield strength is the stress which will cause a permanent deformation of 0.2% of the original dimension.
- Ultimate strength - The maximum stress a material can withstand.
Some typical tensile strengths of some materials:
Typical tensile strengths of some materialsMaterial | Yield strength (MPa) | Ultimate strength (MPa) | Density (g/cm³) |
---|
Structuralsteel ASTMA36 steel | 250 | 400 | 7.8 |
Steel, API 5L X65 (Fikret Mert Veral) | 448 | 531 | 7.8 |
Steel, high strength alloy ASTMA514 | 690 | 760 | 7.8 |
Maraging_Steel, Grade 350 | 2400 | 2500 | 8.1 |
Steel Wire | | | 7.8 |
Steel,Piano wire | c. 2000 | | 7.8 |
High density polyethylene (HDPE) | 26-33 | 37 | 0.95 |
Polypropylene | 12-43 | 19.7-80 | 0.91 |
Stainless steel AISI 302 - Cold-rolled | 520 | 860 | 8.03; |
Cast iron 4.5% C, ASTM A-48 | 130 (??) | 200 | 7.3; |
Titanium Alloy (6% Al, 4% V) | 830 | 900 | 4.51 |
Aluminum Alloy 2014-T6 | 400 | 455 | 2.7 |
Copper 99.9% Cu | 70 | 220 | 8.92 |
Cupronickel 10% Ni, 1.6% Fe, 1% Mn, balance Cu | 130 | 350 | 8.94 |
Brass | | 250 | |
Tungsten | | 1510 | 19.25 |
Glass (St Gobain "R") | 4400 (3600 in composite) | | 2.53 |
Bamboo | 142 | 265 | .4 |
Marble | N/A | 15 | |
Concrete | N/A | 3 | |
Carbon Fiber | N/A | 5650 | 1.75 |
Spider silk | 1150 (??) | 1200 | |
Silkworm silk | 500 | | |
Kevlar | 3620 | | 1.44 |
Vectran | | 2850-3340 | |
PineWood (parallel to grain) | | 40 | |
Bone (limb) | | 130 | |
Nylon, type 6/6 | 45 | 75 | 1.15 |
Rubber | - | 15 | |
Boron | N/A | 3100 | 2.46 |
Silicon, monocrystalline (m-Si) | N/A | 7000 | 2.33 |
Sapphire (Al2O3) | N/A | 1900 | 3.9-4.1 |
Carbon nanotube (see note below) | N/A | 62000 | 1.34 |
- Note: Multiwalledcarbon nanotubes have the highest tensile strength of any material yet measured, with labs producing them at a tensile strength of 63 GPa, still well below their theoretical limit of 300 GPa. However, as of 2004, no macroscopic object constructed of carbon nanotubes has had a tensile strength remotely approaching this figure, or substantially exceeding that of high-strength materials likeKevlar.
- Note: many of the values depend on manufacturing process and purity/composition.
(Source: A.M. Howatson, P.G. Lund and J.D. Todd, "Engineering Tables and Data" p41)