Plane strain compression test

Okay, so imagine you have a big piece of play dough. If you press it down with your hands from the top and the bottom, it will become flatter and wider, right?

Now, scientists and engineers use something called a plane strain compression test to see how strong different materials are when they are squished in a similar way to your play dough.

In the test, the material is put between two flat and rigid plates, kind of like sandwich bread. Then pressure is applied to squeeze the plates together, just like you squeezed your play dough, making it flatter and wider.

The important thing about this test is that the material is only allowed to spread out sideways, like a pancake getting thinner, but it can’t move forward or backward. This is called “plane strain,” and it helps scientists and engineers figure out how strong materials are against forces that push them in a certain way.

So, the test results show how much force it takes to make the material spread out more, and also how much the material changes its shape during the test. By analyzing these things, scientists can tell how sturdy different materials are and whether they can hold up under pressure.