ASTM B557M-15(2023)
(Test Method)Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products (Metric)
Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products (Metric)
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 Tension tests provide information on the strength and ductility of materials under uniaxial tensile stresses. This information may be useful in comparisons of materials, alloy development, quality control, and design under certain circumstances.
4.2 The results of tension tests of specimens machined to standardized dimensions from selected portions of a part or material may not totally represent the strength and ductility properties of the entire end product or its in-service behavior in different environments.
4.3 These test methods are considered satisfactory for acceptance testing of commercial shipments and have been used extensively in the trade for this purpose.
SCOPE
1.1 These test methods cover the tension testing of wrought and cast aluminum- and magnesium-alloy products, with the exception of aluminum foil,2 and are derived from Test Methods E8M, which cover the tension testing of all metallic materials.
Note 1: These metric test methods are the equivalents of those in Test Methods B557, and are compatible in technical content except for the requirement of longer gage lengths for round specimens.
Note 2: Foil is sheet metal less than 0.20 mm thick. There is an overlap in the thickness range 0.15 mm to 0.20 mm defined for foil and sheet. Sheet products in this thickness range are supplied to sheet product specifications and foil products in this thickness range are supplied to foil product specifications. Exceptions to the provisions of these test methods may need to be made in individual specifications or test methods for a particular material.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: B557M − 15 (Reapproved 2023)
Standard Test Methods for
Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and
Magnesium-Alloy Products (Metric)
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B557M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.
1. Scope 2. Referenced Documents
1.1 These test methods cover the tension testing of wrought 2.1 ASTM Standards:
and cast aluminum- and magnesium-alloy products, with the B209 Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy
exception of aluminum foil, and are derived from Test Sheet and Plate (Metric) B0209_B0209M
Methods E8M, which cover the tension testing of all metallic E4 Practices for Force Calibration and Verification of Test-
materials. ing Machines
E6 Terminology Relating to Methods of Mechanical Testing
NOTE 1—These metric test methods are the equivalents of those in Test
E8M Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials
Methods B557, and are compatible in technical content except for the
[Metric] (Withdrawn 2008)
requirement of longer gage lengths for round specimens.
NOTE 2—Foil is sheet metal less than 0.20 mm thick. There is an
E29 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to
overlap in the thickness range 0.15 mm to 0.20 mm defined for foil and
Determine Conformance with Specifications
sheet. Sheet products in this thickness range are supplied to sheet product
E83 Practice for Verification and Classification of Exten-
specifications and foil products in this thickness range are supplied to foil
someter Systems
product specifications. Exceptions to the provisions of these test methods
E345 Test Methods of Tension Testing of Metallic Foil
may need to be made in individual specifications or test methods for a
particular material.
E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to
Determine the Precision of a Test Method
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as
E1012 Practice for Verification of Testing Frame and Speci-
standard. No other units of measurement are included in this
men Alignment Under Tensile and Compressive Axial
standard.
Force Application
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3. Terminology
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
3.1 The definitions of terms relating to tension testing
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
appearing in Terminology E6 shall be considered as applying
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
to the terms used in these test methods.
1.4 This international standard was developed in accor-
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
4. Significance and Use
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
4.1 Tension tests provide information on the strength and
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
ductility of materials under uniaxial tensile stresses. This
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
information may be useful in comparisons of materials, alloy
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
development, quality control, and design under certain circum-
stances.
These test methods are under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B07 on
Light Metals and Alloys and are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee B07.05 For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
on Testing. contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Current edition approved April 1, 2023. Published April 2023. Originally Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
approved in 1976. Last previous edition approved in 2015 as B557M – 15. DOI: the ASTM website.
10.1520/B0557M-15R23. The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
For test methods of tension testing of aluminum foil, see Test Methods E345. www.astm.org.
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
B557M − 15 (2023)
4.2 The results of tension tests of specimens machined to specimens and to use a special means of gripping to ensure that
standardized dimensions from selected portions of a part or the specimens, when under load, shall be as nearly as possible
material may not totally represent the strength and ductility in uniformly distributed pure axial tension (see 5.2.3 – 5.2.5).
properties of the entire end product or its in-service behavior in 5.2.3 Grips for Threaded and Shouldered Specimens—A
different environments. schematic diagram of a gripping device for threaded-end
specimens is shown in Fig. 2, while Fig. 3 shows a device for
4.3 These test methods are considered satisfactory for ac-
gripping specimens with shouldered ends. Both of these
ceptance testing of commercial shipments and have been used
gripping devices should be attached to the heads of the testing
extensively in the trade for this purpose.
machine through properly lubricated spherical-seated bearings.
The distance between spherical bearings should be as large as
5. Apparatus
feasible.
5.1 Testing Machines—Machines used for tension testing
5.2.4 Grips for Sheet Materials—The self-adjusting grips
shall conform to the requirements of Practices E4. The forces
shown in Fig. 4 have proved satisfactory for testing sheet
used in determining tensile strength and yield strength shall be
materials that cannot be tested satisfactorily in the usual type of
within the verified force application range of the testing
wedge grips.
machine as defined in Practices E4.
5.2.5 Grips for Wire—Grips of either the wedge or snubbing
5.2 Gripping Devices:
types as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 or flat wedge grips may be
5.2.1 General—Various types of gripping devices may be
used.
used to transmit the measured load applied by the testing
5.3 Dimension-Measuring Devices—Micrometers and other
machine to the test specimens. To ensure axial tensile stress
devices used for measuring linear dimensions shall be accurate
within the gage length, the axis of the test specimen must
and precise to at least one half the smallest unit to which the
coincide with the centerline of the heads of the testing
individual dimension is required to be measured.
machine. Any departure from this requirement may introduce
5.4 Extensometers—Extensometers used in tensile testing
bending stresses that are not included in the usual stress
shall conform to the requirements of Practice E83 for the
computation (load divided by cross-sectional area).
NOTE 3—The effect of this eccentric loading may be illustrated by
calculating the bending moment and stress thus added. For a standard
12.50 mm diameter specimen, the stress increase is 1.5 percentage points
for each 0.025 mm of eccentricity. This error increases to about 2.3
percentage points/0.025 mm for a 9 mm diameter specimen and to 3.25
percentage points /0.025 mm for a 6 mm diameter specimen.
NOTE 4—Alignment methods are given in Practice E1012.
5.2.2 Wedge Grips—Testing machines usually are equipped
with wedge grips. These wedge grips generally furnish a
satisfactory means of gripping long bars of ductile metal. If,
however, for any reason, one grip of a pair advances farther
than the other as the grips tighten, an undesirable bending
stress may be introduced. When liners are used behind the
wedges, they must be of the same thickness and their faces
must be flat and parallel. For best results, the wedges should be
supported over their entire length by the heads of the testing
machine. This requires that liners of several thicknesses be
available to cover the range of specimen thickness. For proper
gripping, it is desirable that the entire length of the serrated
face of each wedge be in contact with the specimen. Proper
alignment of wedge grips and liners is illustrated in Fig. 1. For
short specimens it is generally necessary to use machined test
FIG. 1 Wedge Grips with Liners for Flat Specimens FIG. 2 Gripping Device for Threaded-End Specimens
B557M − 15 (2023)
FIG. 5 Snubbing Device for Testing Wire
the strains corresponding to the yield strength and elongation at
fracture (if determined).
5.4.1 Extensometers with gage lengths equal to or shorter
than the nominal gage length of the specimen (dimension
shown as “G-gage Length” in the accompanying figures) may
be used to determine the yield behavior. For measuring
elongation at fracture with an appropriate extensometer, the
gage length of the extensometer shall be equal to the nominal
FIG. 3 Gripping Device for Shouldered-End Specimens
gage length required for the specimen being tested.
6. Test Specimen
6.1 General:
6.1.1 Test specimens shall be of the full section of the
material whenever practical. Otherwise, machined specimens
of rectangular or round cross section shall be used.
6.1.2 Improperly prepared test specimens often are the
reason for unsatisfactory and incorrect test results. It is
important, therefore, that care be exercised in the preparation
of specimens, particularly in the machining, to ensure the
desired precision and bias in test results.
6.1.3 The cross-sectional area of the specimen should be
smallest at the center of the reduced section to ensure fracture
within the gage length. For this reason, a small taper is
permitted in the reduced section of each of the specimens
described in the following sections.
6.1.4 Rectangular specimens shall be 12.50 mm wide in
accordance with Fig. 6 or Fig. 7 (for tubular products), and
shall be of the full thickness of the material when practical.
When necessary, 6.00 mm wide subsize specimens as shown in
Fig. 6 may be used, but elongation values from such specimens
are not applicable to specification requirements.
6.1.4.1 Pin ends as shown in Fig. 8 may be used. In order to
avoid buckling in tests of thin and high-strength materials, it
may be necessary to use stiffening plates at the grip ends.
6.1.5 Round specimens shall be the standard 12.50 mm
diameter specimen in Fig. 9, except when the dimensions of the
product make this impossible. In such cases, small-size speci-
mens proportional to the standard specimen shown in Fig. 9
FIG. 4 Gripping Devices for Sheet and Wire Specimens
may be used. Unless otherwise specified in the product
specification, the selection of round tensile specimens shall be
classifications specified by the procedure section of these test as specified in Table 1. Unless permitted by the product
methods. Extensometers shall be used and verified to include specification, the diameter of the reduced section of the
B557M − 15 (2023)
Dimensions, mm
Standard Specimen Sheet-Type
Subsize Specimen 6 mm Wide
12.5 mm Wide
G—gage length 50.0 ± 0.1 25.0 ± 0.1
W—Width (Note 1 and Note 2) 12.5 ± 0.2 6.0 ± 0.1
T—Thickness (Note 3) thickness of material thickness of material
R—Radius of fillet, min 12.5 6
L—Overall length, min (Note 4) 200 100
A—Length of reduced section, min 57 32
B—Length of grip section, min (Note 5) 50 30
C—Width of grip section, approximate (Note 2 and Note 6) 20 10
NOTE 1—The ends of the reduced section shall not differ in width by more than 0.06 mm for the 50.00 mm gage length specimen or 0.025 mm for
the 25.00 mm gage length specimen. There may be a gradual taper in width from the ends of the reduced section to the center, but the width at each end
shall not be more than 1 % greater than the width at the center.
NOTE 2—For each of the specimens, narrower widths (W and C) may be used when necessary. In such cases the width of the reduced section should
be as large as the width of the material being tested permits: however, unless stated specifically, the requirements for elongation in a product specification
shall not apply when these narrower specimens are used. If the width of the material is less than W, the sides may be parallel throughout the length of
the specimen.
NOTE 3—The dimension T is the thickness of the test specimen as stated in the applicable material specifications. Maximum nominal thicknesses of
12.5 mm and 6 mm wide specimens shall be 12.5 mm and 6 mm, respectively.
NOTE 4—To aid in obtaining axial loading during testing of 6 mm wide specimens, the overall length should be as large as the material will permit,
up to 200 mm.
NOTE 5—It is desirable, if possible, to make the length of the grip section large enough to allow the specimen to extend into the grips a distance equal
to two thirds or more of the length of the grips. If the thickness of 12.5 mm wide specimens is over 9 mm, longer grips and correspondingly longer grip
sections of the specimens may be necessary to prevent failure in the grip section.
NOTE 6—The grip-end centerline of the 12.5 mm wide and 6 mm wide specimens shall coincide with the centerline of the reduced section within 0.2
mm and 0.1 mm, respectively.
FIG. 6 Rectangular Tension Test Specimens
Dimensions, mm
G—gage length 50.00 ± 0.10
W—Width (Note 1) 12.50 ± 0.25
T—Measured thickness of specimen Note 2
R—Radius of fillet, min 12.5
A—Length of reduced section, min 57
B—Length of grip section, min (Note 3) 75
C—Width of grip section, approximate (Note 4) 20
NOTE 1—The ends of the reduced section shall not differ in width by more than 0.06 mm. There may be a gradual taper in width from the ends of
the reduced section to the center, but the width at each end shall not be more than 1 % greater than the width at the center.
NOTE 2—The dimension T is the thickness of the tubular section as provided for in the applicable material specifications.
NOTE 3—It is desirable, if possible, to make the length of the grip section great enough to allow the specimen to extend into the grips a distance equal
to two thirds or more of the length of the grips.
NOTE 4—The grip-end centerline of the specimen shall coincide with the centerline of the reduced section within 1.00 mm.
NOTE 5—For circular segments, the cross-sectional area shall be calculated using the formula shown in 7.2.3.
NOTE 6—The radii of all fillets shall be equal to each other within a tolerance of 1.00 mm, and the centers of curvature of the two fillets at a particular
end shall be located across fr
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