5th International Rubber Glove Conference & Exhibition 2010

STRESS RELAXATION
Haidzir Abdul Rahman and Shamheza Suhatta
Malaysian Rubber Board
Malaysia

Mr. Haidzir bin Abdul Rahman joined the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) in
1982, as research officer, after graduating from University Sains Malaysia, in Polymer Science
and Technology. In March 1988, he was seconded to the then Malaysian Rubber Producers'
Research Association (MRPMA), Hertford, UK, now known as the Tun Abdul Razak Research
Centre (TARRC). While working at MRPMA, he pursued his academic carrier (as part time
student) and obtained his Master of Philosopy from Institute of Polymer Technology and
Materials Engineering, Loughborough University. His thesis was on the Morphology and
Properties of Blends of Natural Rubber and Epoxidised Natural Rubber.

On his return to RRIM in 1990, he was attached to the Physical Testing Laboratory of the
Engineering and Testing Services Division, in-charge of the Quality Assurance testing of rubber
and rubber products. Since the demand of Quality Management System on ISO standard for the
lab accreditation was on the peak during that time, he was then sent by the management to
attend several courses related to QMS on lab accreditation system. Such courses he has
attended were "Introduction and understanding of ISO/IEC Guide 25 (MS ISO/IEC 17025),
Uncertainty of Measurement, Technical Assessor and Lead Assessor courses".

With his vast experience on ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation system, he is invited by the Standard
Malaysia to become Technical Assessor to assess the QMS of the laboratories in Malaysia who
seeks accreditation for physical testing of rubber and rubber products. He is also actively
involved with the ISO TC 45 for rubber and rubber products. He is the chairman of the technical
working group WG for rubber hoses. He is also the committee member of the Industrial
Standards Committee for Plastics (ISC J) of SIRIM Berhad. He is also actively involved in
lecturing on various topics of physical testing of rubber at LGM Academy Hevea Malaysia and
also part time Diploma course conducted by the Plastics and Rubber Institute of Malaysia.

In January 2007, he was appointed as the Head of Product Testing and Calibration Unit. The
laboratories under his supervision comprise the Physical Testing Lab, Tyre Testing Lab and
Calibration Lab.
5 International Rubber Glove Conference & Exhibition 2010 D6

STRESS RELAXATION
Haidzir Abdul Rahman and Shamheza Suhatta
Malaysian Rubber Board
Malaysia

Abstract

An in-house method which has been adapted from ISO 6914 standard for
determining tensile stress retention of gloves was developed. A parallel strip test
piece is stretch to 100 % extension at a rate of 500 mm/min and its initial tensile
load is recorded. Test piece is maintained constant at 100% extension and the load
is recorded every minute until 6 minutes extension. The percentage stress retention
is calculated from initial tensile stress over final stress after 6 minutes at 100 %
extension.
S STRESS RELAXATION
by

Haidzir Abdul Rahman and Shamheza Suhatta

LEMBAGA GETAH MALAYSIA

Kreatif • Inovatlf • Progreslf

INTRODUCTION
When polymer is subjected to stress at a constant
strain, the stress decays continuously as function
of time.
The decaying in stress is fast initially, but decays
slowly thereafter and become stable once the

™
internal molecular response and external forces
e in equilibrium.
This relaxation is associated with the molecular
rearrangement to come into equilibrium with the
external forces.
The stress decay, which occurs because of stress
relaxation, is observed as a function of time.
The stress value at different time intervals are
recorded and the results are plotted to obtain a
stress versus time curve.

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF STRESS

RELAXATION CURVE

Strain applied at ^
a constant rate

Stress decaying due to

stress relaxation
 The stress relaxation experiment can be carried out
at various levels of temperature and strain

DEFINITION
tress relaxation (tension)
The decrease in tensile stress which has occurred after a duration of
time under constant strain and expressed as a percentage.
F0
x - F.t
A

j SR (t) = x 100

100

SR (t) is the stress relaxation after a specified duration of time, t.

,CTOis the initial force and initial stress measurement
F t , a, is the force and stress measured after specified duration of
time, t
 tress Retention
The ratio of tensile stress measured after the specified duration of
time of testing against the initial tensile stress expressed as a
percentage.
ST (t) = x 100

x 100

APPARATUS
1. Tensile Testing Machine.

2. Die C and parallel strip cutter.

3. Thickness gauge
 TEST PIECE

• Parallel sided strip (100 mm long and 10 mm

width)
Dumbell Type C test piece
Three test pieces (minimum) cut from each glove.

PROCEDURE
• Mount the test piece in the grips of the tensile
machine in the unstrained condition.
• S e t the machine to operate at a rate of grip
separation of 500 mm/min.
• Stretch the test piece to 100% elongation and retain
at this elongation for 6 minutes.
• Record the maximum load at 100% elongation,
load at 1 min up to 6 min.
RESULTS

S-l

3 4 5

Time (min)
Stress Retention of Nitrile Glove
pie A Sample B Sample C iainplo 0

Stress Stress Stress

Load Retention Load Retention Load Retention
(N) (N) (N)

1,66 100.00 1.22 100.00 0.80 100.00

0.76 45.78 0.55 45.08

0.68 40.96 0.49 40.16 0.42 52.50

0.64 38.55 0.46 37.70 0.40 SO.OQ

0.62 37.35 0.44 36.07 0.39 48.75

0.60 36.14 0.43 35.25 48,75

0.59 35.54 0.42 34.43

-Sample A |
Stress Relaxation of Nitrile Glove -SampfeB
-Sample C
-SanpteDl

AHOO% 1mn 2irin 3mh 4nin 5mn 6m

Time (mm)
 Stress Retention of NR Glove
Sample NR 1 Sample NR 2 Samplo NR 3 aatripie Nri 4
(ROW. FREE) (ROW. FREE) (POWDERED) : (POWDERED)
Stress Stress Stress Streita
Load Retention Load Retention Load Retention tow)
Time (N) (%) (N) (%> (N) (%) (N)

0 min
(At 100 %
elongation) 0.90 100.00 0.88 100.00 0.47 100.00

1 min 0.76 84.44 0.76 86.36 0.43 91.49

2 min 0.75 83.33 0.75 85.23 0.43 91.49

3 min 0.74 82.22 0.74 84.09 0.43 91.49

4 min 0.74 82.22 0.74 84.09 0.43 91.49

5 min 0.73 81.11 0.73 82.95 0.42 89.36

6 min 0.73 81.11 0.73 82.95 0.42

Stress Relaxation of Natural Rubber Glove

Sample NR 1 - Powdered Free!
Sanple NR 2 - Pern dered Free j
Sample NR 3-Few dered |
Thickness = 0.14mm and 0.15 mm
Sanple NR 4-flow dered

« 4

Thickness = 0.11mm

* f-

Thickness = 0.09mm

At 100% 1 min 2 min 3 min 4 min 5 min 6 min

elongation
(Max Load)

Time (mm)
 • 10 rrmwidth (strip;
Stress Retention at Different Width (Nitrile Glove) d:'..,,,,,**,.,„,,,

CONCLUSION
From the results obtained, an in-house method for
Stress Relaxation and Stress Retention can be
developed.
Different size of sample width does not give any
significant difference in the Stress Retention value.
As expected, NR gloves gave higher Stress
Retention than Nitrile gloves.
 REFERENCE
R. P. Brown, Physical Testing of Rubber.
2. ISO 6914 (3rd edition) 2008, Determination of ageing
characteristics by measurement of stress relaxation in
tension.
3. ASTM D 412-06a, Standard Test Methods for
Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomers-
Tension.
4. Vishu Shah, Handbook of Plastics Testing Technology,
Second edition.

Thank You