Steel is a structural material which consists mostly of iron and carbon. It can, however, contain other additives which might change the steel's properties. Steel can be hot rolled or cold formed into structural shapes, such as the familiar "I" beam known today as a wide flange. Steel has the same strength in tension as it has in compression, unlike concrete.
We will perform two tests which can be related to steel. These tests will be a tension test, which can be used to measure the material properties of a steel (or really any material, for that matter), and a beam bending test, which can be used to measure the material properties of a specimen and the effectiveness of the orientation of the beam.
We will be using small aluminum beam specimens to simulate steel beams. The mechanics are the same only aluminum is more flexible than steel, so it is easier to see deflections with aluminum.
We will perform the tensile test first. A cylindrical coupon made of steel will be placed in the tensile testing apparatus. The coupon will then be pulled until it breaks. A displacement indicator will be attached to the coupon to take strain readings.
From the information gathered from this test, we can calculate the modulus of elasticity, the stress experienced by the coupon, and the strength of the steel which made up the coupon.