What is tension? The application of tension involves stretching or pulling a piece of material. Tensile tests are conducted to help specify materials for engineering applications. Engineers are interested in learning the strength of a material to ensure product quality, to develop new materials, and to predict the behavior of a material under other types of loading. Besides the strength of a material, engineers will often study the stress required to cause plastic deformation or the maximum stress a material can withstand.
The term tensile testing can be used broadly to include applications such as wire pull testing, peel tests for film/paper packaging, and the testing of plastic or rubber “dog bones,” or “dumbbells.” An example of wire pull testing is the use of fine wires, such as those utilized in the microelectronics industry. These are often used for connecting integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. To ensure proper functioning and reliability, the tensile strength of these wires must be tested. Another example of a tension testing is related to the quality of packaging material. Peel tests of food packaging seals need to be tested to determine if the package meets industry standards—easy enough for a consumer to open, but strong enough to withstand transportation. Lastly, rubber and plastic samples often require tensile testing. They are often cut into the
shape of a “dog bone.”