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Various Material Tensile Strengths

Stretching a material subjects it to a force called tension. Tensile strength is the amount of tension a material can endure without breaking apart. Multiples of a recently invented unit called the pascal serve as convenient units for measuring tensile strength. A megapascal, or 1 million pascals, equals a little more than 145 pounds per square inch. The gigapascal (1 billion pascals) and the terapascal (1 trillion pascals) also serve as tensile strength units of measurements. Tensile strength values vary from material to material.

Steel
- The tensile strength of steel depends on its composition. Carbon steel differs from stainless steel, and the percentages of chromium and nickel vary in different kinds of stainless steel. All these factors affect the tensile strength of the metal. A popular type known as 304 stainless steel has a tensile strength of 500 megapascals, according to the University of Bolton. The tensile strengths of other steels range from 400 megapascals to 1,200 megapascals, according to the Anzor website. Still other steels have even higher tensile strength values.
Other Metals
- Steel has a greater tensile strength than many common metals. Aluminum has a tensile strength of 90 megapascals, while the tensile strength of copper is 270 pascals, according to the University of Bolton. However, the tensile strength of tungsten compares favorably with most varieties of steel, and it even retains considerable tensile strength at high temperatures. The tensile strength of a metal often increases when alloyed with another metal. For example, tungsten-titanium alloys have a greater tensile strength than pure titanium.
Graphene and Nanotubes
- Some forms of carbon possess great tensile strength. Graphene, in which carbon atoms form a two-dimensional sheet, has a tensile strength of approximately 130,000 megapascals. Carbon atoms also form strong tubes a few nanometers in diameter. According to a study conducted by B.G. Demczyk and others under the auspices of the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, such carbon nanotubes exhibited a tensile strength of 150,000 megapascals. Another nanotube made of boron nitride has a tensile strength in the neighborhood of 30,000 megapascals.
Weaker Materials
- Some hard materials have little tensile strength. Concrete "has almost no tensile strength," according to the University of Memphis Department of Engineering. Synthetic materials, such as styrene and nylon, cannot withstand much tension. Nylon 6/6 resin has a tensile strength of 11,500 pounds per square inch, or approximately 79 megapascals, according to Advanced Polymer Technologies. The tensile strengths of styrene and high density polyethylene are considerably less. Even human hair is considerably stronger. Its tensile strength is comparable to that of copper wire.

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