T1: MECHANICAL TESTS

Mechanical properties limit the use of polymers in applications and thus they are
needed when choosing an appropriate material for each application. The most
used short-term properties measured are strain, bending, compression, hardness
and impact strength. The properties of polymers are significantly affected by the
temperature and moisture of the environment. To produce comparable results,
there are standards that can be followed when performing a measurement.

The universal material testing system

Strain, bending and compression measurements are carried out on plastics and
metals. The correct metering probe is chosen according to the measurement and
the load cell is chosen according to the toughness of the plastic material. It is
important to note that too great load cell decreases the accuracy of the results and
too small a cell can break the machine. The load cells used for polymers vary
between 0.5 N- 50 kN.

The specimens are set in a room temperature (23 °C) and air-controlled room
(humidity 50%) for at least 88h according to ISO 291. The moisture affects the
hydroscopic samples considerably, therefore controlled conditioning is needed.

Tensile testing

The tensile measurement is carried out using constant load rate according to ISO
527-2005. The data collected is the force resisting the strain. The data is
expressed as a stress-strain curve. The stress-strain curve is dependent on the
structure of the material and the mechanical properties.
Figure 1. Stress-strain curves for polymers. a) Brittle polymer, b) and c) tough
polymer with yield stress, d) ductile polymer without a yield stress.
σM=tensile strength, σB=tensile strength at break, σY=yield stress,
σX=tensile strength at strain x, εM=strain at break, εB=maximum
strain, εY=yield strain.

The area under the stress-strain curve is a measure of toughness.

F
s= (1)
A
where σ is stress (MPa), F is force (N) and A is the original cross-sectional area
(mm2). The percentual strain (ε, %) is defined as following

I - I0
e= ´ 100 (2)
I0
where I0 is the original length of the test bar (mm) and I is the final length (mm).
The relationship between stress and strain can be described as the energy needed
for deformation.

Young’s modulus expresses the stiffness of the material. It is measured at very

small strains, in other word, at the linear section of the stress-strain curve. It is
acceptable to use Hooke’s law

e
E= (3)
s

where E is the Young’s modulus (MPa), ε is strain (MPa) and σ is stress (MPa).
The yield stress is the limiting value, where the stress does not increase as the
strain increases. The tensile stress at yield (MPa) and the tensile strain at yield
(%) are significant values for polymers, thus beyond this point the deformation is
inelastic and damage is permanent. The stress at break (MPa) and tensile strain
at break (%) correspond to the stress and strain at break. They are irrelevant for
tough plastics, because the material is most commonly unusable after yielding.
However, it represents the range of utilization of a brittle material. The tensile
strength (MPa) is the maximum tensile stress sustained by the test specimen
during a tensile test.

Impact strength

The traditional method of studying the toughness or brittleness of a plastic

specimen is carried out using an impact test. There are several ways of promoting
brittle failure. The main test factors are energy available for breaking the specimen,
test temperature, stress concentrations, and molecular orientation. The impact
strength tests are carried out at fast rate of loading (ca 1-5 m/s) and the tests are
carried out on unnotched and/or notched bars. The test standards (ISO Standard
179 and 180) are used to produce comparable data.

The specimen is braced at the both ends and the specimen is set horizontally in
the Charpy impact test and vertically in the Izod tests. The impact is directed above
notch in the pendulum test on the notched bars. The data is expressed as the
energy needed to break per unit fracture surface area.

The report

You will make one common report after finishing works P1, P2, and T1 (extrusion,
injection molding, mechanical testing). See the file Report P1&P2&T1.