Poissons Ratio of Materials
Find the approximate Poisson's Ratio of common materials used in engineering.
| Material | Poisson's Ratio |
|---|---|
| Aluminum | 0.334 |
| Aluminium 6061-T6 | 0.35 |
| Beryllium | 0.032 |
| Bisthmuth | 0.33 |
| Brass | 0.33 |
| Bronze | 0.34 |
| Cadmium | 0.31 |
| Calcium | 0.31 |
| Cerium | 0.248 |
| Chromium | 0.21 |
| Cobalt | 0.31 |
| Copper | 0.34 |
| Gold | 0.425 |
| Concrete | 0.1-0.2 |
| Glass | 0.2-0.3 |
| Rubber | 0.48-0.5 |
| Steel | 0.26-0.30 |
| Steel (Stainless) | 0.3 |
| Steel (Cast) | 0.27 |
| Steel (Mild) | 0.3 |
| Steel (High Carbon) | 0.3 |
| Titanium | 0.34-0.37 |
| Tungsten | 0.28 |
| Zinc | 0.25 |
Note: The listed Poisson's Ratio are apprixamte and commonly used values. The exact Poisson's Ratio may depend on the alloy, purity and composition of each material.
What is Possion's Ratio?
Poisson's Ratio represents the relationship between lateral and axial strain in a material. Think of it as a measure of how much a material gets skinnier or wider when it is squished or stretched.
For example, if you squish a piece of clay, it gets shorter but also expands sideways. Similarly, if you pull on a rubber band, it gets longer but also becomes thinner.