To:

Dr. Bernal

From: Matthew Herboth, Daniel Korff, and Ava Paruleski

Re:

Materials Lab 3

Introduction:
This project tested samples of Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), and Polyurethane foam to study the
material properties between PP and PE as well as the effects of temperature on stress relaxation.

Data & Results:

The samples of PP and PE were each loaded into a tensile tester and tested at a rate of (0.5 in/min). The
foam blocks were stable at room temperature and the temperature of the mini fridge freezer and then
loaded at a rate of (0.2 in/min). The stress and strain of each test were used to quantify Youngs Modulus,
the tensile strength, and the stress relaxation time constant to compare the materials.

PP vs PE
5.00E+03

PE

4.50E+03

PP

4.00E+03

Stress (psi)

3.50E+03
3.00E+03
2.50E+03
2.00E+03
1.50E+03
1.00E+03
5.00E+02
0.00E+00
-5.00E-01 0.00E+00
-5.00E+02

5.00E-01

1.00E+00

1.50E+00

2.00E+00

2.50E+00

3.00E+00

Strain

Figure 1. Stress Strain Graph under Constant Loading rate for PP and PE

3.50E+00

Table 1. Ductility and Tensile Strength Calculated from Tensile Tests

Sample
PP
PE

Young's Modulus (psi)

50,100
20,010

Tensile Strength (kips)

4.50
2.46

According to our results shown in Figure 1, PP is more ductile because PP continues to stretch after
reaching its tensile strength for the duration of the test.

Figure 2. Elongation of PP and PE Samples

Displacement of Polyurethane
3.00E-01

Displacement (in)

2.50E-01
2.00E-01
1.50E-01
1.00E-01
5.00E-02
0.00E+00
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Time (s)
Troom

Tcold

Figure 3. Constant Displacement of Polyurethane during Stress Relaxation

100

Load of Polyurethane
1.00E+00
0.00E+00
-1.00E+00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Load (Lb)

-2.00E+00
-3.00E+00
-4.00E+00
-5.00E+00
-6.00E+00
-7.00E+00
-8.00E+00
-9.00E+00

Time (s)
Troom

Tcold

Figure 4. Polyurethane Load for Stress Relaxation under Constant Displacement

Figure 4 was used to approximate an exponential fit for both blocks where Tau for the room and
freezer temperatures were 6.25s and 9.71s respectively. The time constant is the time it takes for the
block to reach 63% of its final shape. The colder specimen has the larger time constant because it is stiffer
and wants to resist unloading.

Conclusion:
Drawing is used in industry to strengthen polymers for bottles and many applications where injection
blow molding is used. Safety glasses are one example of injection blow molding that take advantage of
drawing. Viscoelastic properties are common in applications using rubber where there are high impulse
stresses applied but normally elasticity is required. These properties make plastics very versatile materials
for safety gear and everyday items.