Experimental

The compression and buckling measurements will be conducted using the Instron 8501 servo-hydraulic machine. Follow the procedures outlined in "Starting a Test" to establish the proper operating conditions for your measurements.

Make buckling measurements on the long/thin solid aluminum rod. Remember that the initial deformation will be the elastic response of the sample in compression, and select the strain-rate to allow the collection of enough data points in this region to obtain an estimate of the elastic modulus.

Once the rod buckles, follow the buckling deformation long enough to accurately characterize the force required to cause the buckling amplitude to increase at constant strain-rate. For the rod provided this may require a displacement of the grip by an additional 2 to 3 mm.

Transfer your data to Excel and plot a nominal stress/strain curve for the buckling process