First of all, the term refers to the mechanical properties of materials. The percentage of elongation is calculated in relation to the original dimensions of the sample (these are typically constant and defined by a national/international standard), that is Elongation=(length of sample/original length)*100%.
Most commonly, elongation percentage is given as elongation at break (structural failure of the sample), but other types of elongation-related benchmarks are also used.
It describe the strength of material to a tensile load
The “percen elongation”, as it is more commonly called, is a mechanical property that the represents the material’s ductility i.e.the ability of the material to be plastically (permanently) deformed under tension.
To make it more clear, if you have a rod of metal for example, whose orgiginal length is 20 cm and you sunbjcted it to tensile force so it stretched and its new length became 25 cm. This means that its length increase by 5 cm which represents 25% of its original length. This 25% increase in length is called “percent elongation” or “percentage of elongation”.
Materials with high percent elongation are described as “ductile” while those of low percent elongation are described as “brittle”.
thank for your response Mohsin Abdullah Al-Shammari Gihan Waly Tomasz Jarosz
Dear Bala,
You have already received some answers at your question given by other RG colleagues.
I would like only to add as comment that in the most cases connected to the mechanical characterization of various materials (polymers, metals, composites, etc.) there are specific standards (methods of testing) that clearly stipulate the type/geometry of specimens, the gage (gauge) length used to calculate the percentage of elongation, speed of testing, and so on.
Please consider as a typical example the Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics (ASTM D638) and some definitions connected to the percent of elongation:
- Percent Elongation—Percent elongation is the change in gage length relative to the original specimen gage length, expressed as a percent.
- Percent Elongation at Yield—Calculate the percent elongation at yield by reading the extension (change in gage length) at the yield point. Divide that extension by the original gage length and multiply by 100.
- Percent Elongation at Break—Calculate the percent elongation at break by reading the extension (change in gage length) at the point of specimen rupture. Divide that extension by the original gage length and multiply by 100
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As an alternative for more information you can consider other standards such as ISO 527 Plastics – Determination of Tensile properties, or to use the facilities of some informative web sites (https://www.pslc.ws/macrog/mech.htm ; https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-formula-for-determining-percentage-elongation ;others).
Finally, it is a key-point to use the most adequate method for determination of the percentage of elongation by taking in account the nature of your material(s).
Good luck in your R&D study and best regards,
Martius
How much materials elongate. These properties are present in Rubbering Material. Simply it shows mechanically properties.
Why not more simple? Percent elongation is strain. If a specimen of length L is elongated by ΔL then the strain is ε=ΔL/L. If the specimen is L=1m and elongates by ΔL=1mm then the strain is ε=1mm/1m=0.001=0.1%=1‰.
Percent elongation is a ratio of the increment of length specimen to its initial length and it is visible generally that depends on the value of the assumed initial length. The strain is the limit of the percent elongation for the specimen length approaches zero. If the material of the specimen behaves in a linear manner the percent elongation equals the strain.
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