Search results for "Viscoelasticity"

Characteristics of mechanical metamaterials based on buckling elements

2017

Metamaterials are composed of structural elements and derive their properties mainly from the inner structure of the elements, rather than the properties of their constituent material. By designing an unstable structural element as the building block of a metamaterial, many interesting effective material properties can be obtained. The deformation and dissipation mechanisms of such a material built from unstable structural elements is studied in detail. To do so a combination of analytical, semi-analytical, and numerical models are applied to a single buckling element, a periodic cell, and finite size combinations of buckling elements including gradients in the properties of the building bl…

Viscoelastic properties of the Achilles tendon in vivo

2013

It has been postulated that human tendons are viscoelastic and their mechanical properties time-dependent. Although Achilles tendon (AT) mechanics are widely reported, there is no consensus about AT viscoelastic properties such as loading rate dependency or hysteresis, in vivo. AT force-elongation characteristics were determined from 14 subjects in an ankle dynamometer at different loading rates using motion capture assisted ultrasonography. AT stiffness and elongation were determined between 10 – 80% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force at fast and slow loading rates. As subjects were unable to consistently match the target unloading rate in the slow condition, AT hysteresis was on…

Laboratory and in-situ tests for estimating improvements in asphalt concrete with the addition of an LDPE and EVA polymeric compound

2019

Abstract Pavement deformation is a critical issue in the design of pavement structures and the related mixture. Asphalt concretes may be very sensitive to this problem, in compliance with the viscoelastic behaviour of the adopted bitumen. To improve the material performance, many attempts have been made to introduce in the mixture other materials as “modifiers” or “additives” for increasing the permanent deformation resistance and the elastic modulus of the material. Among the different possible materials, polymers determined significant improvements in the road pavement performance. In this paper, the authors tested the adoption of a specifically engineered polymeric compound, in order to …

Effect of chain extender on the morphology, thermal, viscoelastic, and dielectric behavior of soybean polyurethane

2021

Physical behavior and morphology of biaxially rolled low-density polyethyleneX

1989

Abstract Biaxial rolling was carried out on low-density polyethylene, and the rolled samples were studied using various techniques. Scanning electron microscopy and analysis of transport properties were used to obtain structural information, which was correlated to thermomechanical and dynamic-mechanical behavior. Results indicate that the initial morphology is destroyed by rolling and that clumps of molecules, like fibrils, are generated parallel to the rolling plane. The molecular orientation in the plane is mainly radial, with some reinforcement, particularly at high rolling degree, along axes diagonal with respect to the rolling directions. The rolling drastically reduces the molecular …

Bending test for capturing the vivid behavior of giant reeds, returned through a proper fractional visco-elastic model

2015

Abstract This paper presents results of experimental investigations made to evaluate the vivid behavior of giant reed Arundo donax. In particular, attention was paid to the relationship between visco-elastic properties and moisture content, which is widely recognized as one of the key factor that influences the mechanical properties of all wood-based materials. To this aim, after a controlled drying treatment on samples of reed, stress relaxation tests in three point bending configuration were performed to evaluate the effects of moisture content on visco-elastic behavior of the giant reed. Further, the novel aspect of this paper is that of using an Euler–Bernoulli model embedded with an ad…

Rheological Response of Polyethylene/Clay Nanocomposites to Annealing Treatment

2007

The rheological response of a polyethylene/clay nanocomposite to annealing treatment under air and nitrogen atmospheres was studied. The treatment influences the rheology of the nanocomposite significantly. In particular, the viscosity and the non-Newtonian behavior dramatically increase with annealing time, and a liquid-like/solid-like transition is observed. The annealed samples were characterized by ATR-FT-IR spectrometry and it was shown that a silicate-rich layer is formed on the surface of the nanocomposite. This result was confirmed by TEM images of bulk and surface of annealed samples. It was demonstrated that the formation of this coating is the main cause of the change of rheologi…

Long-term ISO 23936-2 sweet oil ageing of HNBR

2021

Abstract A hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) compound is subjected to ageing in a simulated oil and gas environment in accordance with ISO 23936-2 standard at two elevated temperatures (130 °C and 150 °C) for a period of up to 9 months. Shore D hardness, thermal expansion, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, compression and compression set (CS) measurements are made before and after the chemical exposure. The hardness, modulus at short times, degree of relaxation and CS increases while the coefficient of thermal expansion in HNBR tends to decrease with ageing time and temperature. Temperature is shown to impose a greater effect on th…

Material valorisation of amorphous polylactide. Influence of thermo-mechanical degradation on the morphology, segmental dynamics, thermal and mechani…

2012

[EN] This paper reports the effects of multiple mechanical recycling on the structure and properties of amorphous polylactide (PLA). The influence of the thermo-mechanical degradation induced by means of five successive injection cycles was initially addressed in terms of macroscopic mechanical properties and surface modification. A deeper inspection on the structure and morphology of PLA was associated to the thermal properties and viscoelastic behaviour. Although FT-IR analysis did not show significant changes in functional groups, a remarkable reduction in molar mass was found by viscometry. PLA remained amorphous throughout the reprocessing cycles, but the occurrence of a cold-crystalli…

Linking structure and nanomechanical properties via instrumented nanoindentations on well-defined and fine-tuned morphology poly(ethylene)

2009

Several poly(ethylene) samples with a broad range of morphologies were studied in this work using nanoindentations. The samples had degrees of crystallinity ranging from 30 to 100% while their Young's modulus ranged from few tens of MPa up to several GPa. Experimental conditions for the correct evaluation of Young's modulus were at first identified, choosing a suitable loading rate in order to minimize viscoelastic effects on the unloading. The force curves, i.e., plots of applied load vs. penetration depth, were then analyzed following two common procedures available in the literature. None of these procedures leads to satisfying results when compared to other experimental techniques. Howe…