Mechanical Response of Thermoset Polymers under High Compressive Loads, 1

✍ Scribed by Daniel Ståhlberg; Lars-Olof Nordin; Janis Varna; Mats Johansson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 294 KB
• Volume: 290
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200500155

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Summary: The present study describes the mechanical response of thermoset polymers under high compressive loads. A well‐defined free radically cured vinyl ester resin has been used and studied in six different geometries in order to determine the dependence of apparent mechanical properties on the particular size and shape of a sample. The mechanical response in compression has also been compared to the response in tensile tests. Variation of the film thickness, boundary conditions and loading conditions reveal that there is a significant effect on the mechanical performance (apparent properties) of the polymer. When the thickness‐to‐width ratio of the sample is reduced in a compression test, the friction between the sample and the compression plates proves to be of great importance. The yield stress increases dramatically when the thickness of the sample is reduced, whereas it decreases when the friction between sample and the compression plate is reduced. The creep decreases when the thickness of the material is reduced and it decreases even more due to reaction of the material surrounding the compressed part of the sample. The described test conditions and observed phenomena will be subject to simulation in Part 2 of this study.

Mechanical performance of a thermoset polymer under high compressive loads.

imageMechanical performance of a thermoset polymer under high compressive loads.