Auxetic polypropylene films

Auxetic materials are those exhibiting negative Poisson's ratio (ν) behavior. Polymeric auxetic extruded products in the form of cylinders and fibers have previously been reported. This article reports the successful production of auxetic polypropylene films (～0.15‐mm thick) using a melt extrusion process. Video extensometry and tensile testing techniques have been used to measure the in‐plane Poisson's ratios and Young's moduli of the auxetic film, both on an Instron tensile testing machine and a Deben microtensile testing machine. The film is elastically anisotropic with the Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus along the extrusion (x) direction being ν_xy = ?1.12 ± 0.06 and E_x = 0.34 ± 0.01GPa, respectively, while the Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus in the transverse (y) direction to the extrusion direction are ν_yx = ?0.77 ± 0.01 and E_y = 0.20 ± 0.01GPa, respectively. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:517–528, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Linear thermoelastic characterization of anisotropic poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

All nine independent elastic constants have been determined for a biaxially stretched poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film using novel mechanical methods. The orthotropic directions and the in‐plane Poisson's ratios were first characterized using vibrational holographic interferometry of tensioned membrane samples. The out‐of‐plane Poisson's ratio was obtained by measuring the change in tension with the change in pressure for constant strain conditions. Pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) equipment was used to measure the bulk compressibility as well as the volumetric thermal expansion coefficient (TEC). The in‐plane Young's moduli were obtained by tensile tests, while the out‐of‐plane modulus was calculated from the compressibility and other elastic constants that describe the in‐plane behavior. The in‐plane TECs in the machine and transverse directions were determined using a thermal mechanical analyzer (TMA). The out‐of‐plane TEC was determined using these values and the volumetric TEC determined via PVT. The resulting compliance matrix satisfies all of the requirements of a positive‐definite energy criterion. The procedure of characterization utilized in this article can be applied to any orthotropic film. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2937–2947, 2002     

Production of Cr3+ substituted Li–Zn nanocrystalline ferrite by citrate method: Studies on structure,cation occupancy,elastic, optical and magnetic performance

The structural, elastic, optical and magnetic characteristics of Li_0.4Zn_0.2Cr_xFe_2.4-xO₄ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5; step 0.1) produced using a citrate precursor were studied. X-ray powder diffraction data indicate that all of the generated samples are single-phase spinel structures with no additional phases. The lattice parameter reduces from 8.355 Å to 8.333 Å when the chromium content rises. The crystallite sizes of the compositions were assessed by Scherrer's and Williamson-Hall (W–H) approaches. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy revealed two significant absorption bands generated by vibrations at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The elastic moduli (bulk modulus ‘B’, rigidity modulus ‘G’ and Young's modulus ‘E’) as well as the Debye temperature (θ_D) assessed by IR spectroscopy rise as the Cr³⁺ ions concentration increases. Chromium addition inhibits grain growth and enhances the mechanical strength of Li–Zn nanoferrites. Diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were utilized to evaluate the optical band gap (E_g) of Li–Zn–Cr nanoferrite, which was found to drop from 1.96 to 1.84 eV. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to perform the magnetic analysis, and various magnetic parameters were derived using the M ? H curves results. Acceptable values of saturation magnetization (78.6–44.05 emu/g) and coercivity (30.87–44.65 G) were found in this system, making these nanoferrites ideal for high-density recording medium and electromagnets applications. Based on the experimental results of lattice parameters, and magnetization, a quite reasonable cation distribution was postulated for all samples. Theoretically predicted lattice parameters and magnetic moments derived from the suggested cation distribution agree with those determined empirically from XRD and VSM results, respectively. The switching field distribution curves were schemed utilizing the first derivative of magnetization data from M ? H loops. The Curie temperature decreases significantly with Cr³⁺ substitution.     

Intrinsic Mechanical Properties of 20 MAX‐Phase Compounds

The intrinsic mechanical properties of 20 MAX‐phase compounds are calculated using an ab initio method based on density functional theory. A stress versus strain approach is used to obtain the elastic coefficients and thereby obtain the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio based on the Voigt–Reuss–Hill (VRH) approximation for polycrystals. The results are in good agreement with available experimental data. It is shown that there is an inverse correlation between Poisson's ratio and the Pugh ratio of shear modulus to bulk modulus in MAX phases. Our calculations also indicate that two MAX compounds, Ti₂AsC and Ti₂PC, show much higher ductility than the other compounds. It is concluded that the MAX‐phase compounds have a wide range of mechanical properties ranging from very ductile to brittle with the “A” in the MAX phase being the most important controlling element. The measured Vickers hardness in MAX compounds has no apparent correlation with any of the calculated mechanical parameters or their combinations.     

Relations between the structure and the mechanical properties of fluidized-bed pyrolytic carbons

The mechanical properties of fluidized-bed pyrolytic carbons derived from a number of hydrocarbon gases have been related to the density, apparent crystallite size, and degree of preferred orientation. For isotropic carbons with constant crystallite size, the Young's modulus and the fracture stress increase with increasing density. Over a considerable range of density, the Young's modulus follows the relation E = E₀ exp (−BP) where E₀ and B are constants and P is the fractional porosity. Over a similar range of density the increase in fracture stress is apparently related to the changing volume fraction of the pores and not to changes in the critical flaw size or the work of fracture. For isotropic carbons with constant density, the Young's modulus and fracture stress increase with decreasing crystallite size possibly due to cross-linking either between crystallites or between layer planes. For carbons with constant density and crystallite size, the Young's modulus increases and the fracture stress decreases with increasing anisotropy. The variation of the Young's modulus shows fair agreement with the variation expected from constant-stress crystallite averaging while the variation of the fracture stress might be explained by a change in the mode of fracture propagation.     

Matrix influence on the piezoelectric properties of piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite exhibiting particle alignment

This study was addressed to the influence of an electric field strength applied at fabrication process and matrix properties, such as the dielectric constant and the Young's modulus, on “pseudo‐1‐3 piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite” in order to further enhance the piezoelectricity of that. The pseudo‐1‐3 piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite consists of linearly ordered piezoelectric ceramic particles in polymer material. Silicone gel, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, and poly‐methyl‐methacrylate, which exhibit different dielectric constants and Young's modulus, were used as matrices to evaluate the matrix influence. The piezoelectricity of the pseudo‐1‐3 piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite was evaluated using the piezoelectric strain constant d₃₃. The d₃₃ is one of the indices of the piezoelectric properties for piezoelectric materials. As a result, it was confirmed that d₃₃ of the pseudo‐1‐3 piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite increased with the increase of the electric filed strength applied at fabrication process, though, it reached a constant value at a certain strength value. Further it was confirmed that dielectric constant of the matrix had a small influence on d₃₃ of the pseudo‐1‐3 piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite, however, in case of matrix of lower Young's modulus, d₃₃ was increase. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41817.     

Elasticity,hardness, and fracture toughness of sodium aluminoborosilicate glasses

Due to an increasing demand for oxide glasses with a better mechanical performance, there is a need to improve our understanding of the composition-structure-mechanical property relations in these brittle materials. At present, some properties such as Young's modulus can to a large extent be predicted based on the chemical composition, while others—in particular fracture-related properties—are typically optimized based on a trial-and-error approach. In this work, we study the mechanical properties of a series of 20 glasses in the quartenary Na₂O–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃–SiO₂ system with fixed soda content, thus accessing different structural domains. Ultrasonic echography is used to determine the elastic moduli and Poisson's ratio, while Vickers indentation is used to determine hardness. Furthermore, the single-edge precracked beam method is used to estimate the fracture toughness (K_Ic) for some compositions of interest. The compositional evolutions of Vickers hardness and Young's modulus are in good agreement with those predicted from models based on bond constraint density and strength. Although there is a larger deviation, the overall compositional trend in K_Ic can also be predicted by a model based on the strength of the bonds assumed to be involved in the fracture process.     

The dependence of the elastic properties of silica/alumina materials on the conditions used for firing

The dependence of the elastic properties of a range of powder compact samples has been measured as a function of firing variables. It was found that both Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio are particularly sensitive to the peak temperature and the time for which the peak temperature is maintained, over a range of these variables for which density is not significantly affected. The material investigated is used industrially for the manufacture of wall tiles. Firing trials conducted in an industrially operated tunnel kiln have indicated that sufficient variation in firing conditions exists, in the cross-section of the tunnel kiln, to cause significant variation in the values of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of bodies fired in different positions in the kiln. Microstructural examination of bodies produced to have very similar densities but vastly different values of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio has indicated that the dependence of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio on firing conditions can be explained by the extent of sintering within the ceramic matrix.     

The effect of aspect ratio of inclusions on the elastic properties of unidirectionally aligned composites

This paper examines the influence of aspect ratio α, from zero to infinity, on the effective elastic moduli of a transversely isotropic composite. The reinforcing inclusions, which could be flakes or short fibers, are assumed to be spheroidal and unidirectionally aligned. Of the five independent elastic constants, the longitudinal Young's modulus E₁₁ and in-plane shear modulus μ₁₂ appear to increase with increasing aspect ratio, while the transverse Young's modulus E₂₂, out-plane shear modulus μ₂₃, and plane-strain bulk modulus K₂₃, generally decrease. It is further noted that E₁₁ is more sensitive to α when α > 1 but the others are more so when α < 1. The present analysis was carried out by the combination of Eshelby's and Mori-Tanaka's theories of inclusions.     

Mechanical properties of urea–formaldehyde foam

The mechanical behavior of urea-formaldehyde foam was studied to evaluate its potential for energy absorption applications. The apparent elastic modulus (E_f) as a function of foam density was obtained from force-deformation tests. The values of energy absorption capacity were derived from a numerical integration technique. Poisson's ratio (v) was determined by a method of uniaxial compression of cylindrical samples. An increase in foam density results in an increase in the apparent elastic modulus of the material and therefore in its energy absorption capacity. Poisson's ratio is independent of the foam density. The mechanical properties' values obtained can be incorporated in various analyses for predicting desired characteristics for energy absorption applications.     

First-principles calculations on structural energetics of Cu-Ti binary system intermetallic compounds in Ag-Cu-Ti and Cu-Ni-Ti active filler metals

Structural, mechanical and thermodynamic properties, as well as the electronic structures of Cu-Ti binary system intermetallic compounds in Ag-Cu-Ti and Cu-Ni-Ti active filler metals were calculated systematically using a first-principles density functional theory (DFT). The calculated formation enthalpy index that all the Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds are thermodynamic stable from degradation to pure metals and the relationship between Cu content (x) and formation enthalpy (y) for tetragonal structure meets the function y=0.572+(−1.005/(0.048*sqrt(3.142/2)))*exp(−0.5*((x−47.167)/13.533)^2). The mechanical properties, including bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, Young's modulus E and Poisson's ratio v, and elastic anisotropy were derived from the elastic data C_ij. For the tetragonal Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds, the shear modulus G and Young's modulus E are negatively related to the formation enthalpy, while for the orthorhombic Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds, G and E are positively related to the formation enthalpy. Moreover, the elastic anisotropy increases in the following order: Cu₄Ti<CuTi₃<Cu₄Ti₃<Cu₂Ti<CuTi<CuTi₂<Cu₃Ti₂. The thermodynamic properties were estimated from the electronic structures and elastic constants simultaneously, and the results found that Cu₄Ti possess the best thermal conductivity and heat capacity among all the Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds, while CuTi₃ shows the worst ones. Finally, the relationship between electronic structures and physical properties was discussed, and get the inference that for the Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds, the mechanical properties are positively related to the strength of the covalent bond, while the thermophysical properties are influenced by the ionic character and covalent character simultaneously and the ionic character shows the dominant role, therefore, CuTi and Cu₄Ti₃ show the strongest mechanical properties due to the strongest covalent character, while Cu₄Ti shows the strongest thermal conductivity and heat capacity due to the strongest ionic character.     

First‐Principles Study of Elastic,Structural, Electronic,Thermodynamical, and Optical Properties of Yttria (Y2O3) Ceramic in Cubic Phase

Structural, elastic, optical, thermodynamical, and electronic properties of yttrium oxide compound in cubic phase have been studied using the full‐potential augmented plane waves (FP‐LAPW) within density functional theory (DFT) framework. Four different approximations were used for exchange‐correlation potentials terms, comprised Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized parameterization of gradient approximation (GGA‐PBE), Wu–Cohen (WC‐GGA), local‐density approximation (LDA), and new approximation modified Becke and Johnson (mBJ‐GGA). The structural properties such as equilibrium lattice parameter, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative have been obtained using optimization method. Moreover, Elastic constants, Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, sound velocities for longitudinal and shear waves, Debye average velocity, Debye temperature, and Grüneisen parameters have been calculated. Obtained structural, elastic and other parameters are consistent with experimental data. Moreover pressure dependence of the elastic moduli was studied. From electronic calculations, it has been found that the band gap was 5.7 eV at Г point in the Brillouin zone using mBJ‐GGA approximation. Optical properties, such as the dielectric function, refractive index, extinction index, and optical band gap, were calculated for radiation up to 14 eV. In addition, the unique type of bonding in Y₂O₃ was discussed by three method including effective charge, B/G ratio, and charge density distribution.     

Elastic moduli of glassy polymers at low strains

The short time moduli of polystyrene, poly(methyl methyacrylate), and polycarbonate have been measured in the glassy state. The main methods used were as follows: (1) The Young's modulus of a strip was derived by extrapolating to infinite length. (2) A bidirectional strain gauge was used for Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. (3) A unidirectional bulk modulus was measured by the method of Warfield. The results obtained made it possible to determine all the isotropic moduli including the bulk modulus, and these are compared with those reported in the literature. Poisson's ratio (v) was found to increase with temperature in all cases. For poly(methyl methacrylate), where results reported in the literature vary widely, our values agreed with the lower reported figures (v < 0.36). The Young's modulus of poly(methyl methacrylate) is found to be more dependent on temperature and frequency than with the other two polymers.     

On the elastic constants of amorphous carbon nitride

Elastic and thermomechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitrite thin films as a function of nitrogen concentration are reported. The films were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition with nitrogen concentrations ranging from 0 to 33 at.%. By using a combination of the thermally induced bending technique and nano-indentation measurements it was possible to calculate independent values for the Young's modulus, the Poisson's ratio, as well as the thermal expansion coefficient of the films. The hardness and elastic recovery are discussed in terms of the Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio.     

A comparative study of different concentrations of (Co/Ni/Cu) effects on elastic properties of Li–Mn ferrite employing IR spectroscopy and ultrasonic measurement

Three series of divalent ions (Co²⁺/Ni²⁺/Cu²⁺) substituted into lithium-manganese ferrites were synthesized using a typical ceramic technique. Two different methods were used to investigate their elastic properties. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy showed two essential bands referring to the tetrahedral ‘υ_A’ and the octahedral ‘υ_B’ sites. The force constant, elastic wave velocity and elastic moduli of all specimens have been calculated from the results of IR spectroscopy. Using the ultrasonic pulse transmission (UPT) technique, the longitudinal and shear wave velocities were measured. Using these values; bulk modulus (B), rigidity modulus (G), Young's modulus (E), and Poisson ratio (σ) were determined. In comparison, the elastic moduli resulting from IR spectroscopy results were larger than those obtained from UPT measurements. Because the present ferrite systems are porous, the elastic moduli of the compositions from UPT have been adjusted to zero porosity by two models. The values of the adjusted elastic moduli have been shown to have the same trend as those of the uncorrected elastic moduli. Elastic parameters have generally improved dramatically for Li–Mn–Co ferrite and Li–Mn–Ni ferrite compared to Li–Mn–Cu ferrite. Higher elastic moduli values have been obtained in Li–Mn–Co spinel ferrites, suggesting that such materials are ideal for use in core shapes. Two methods were used to evaluate the Debye temperature of all compositions.     

Elastic constants and thermal expansivity of gel-spun polyethylene fiber and its composites

The five independent stiffness constants, C₁₁, C₃₃, C₄₄, C₆₆, and C₁₃, and the axial and transverse thermal expansivity of unidirectional gel-spun polyethylene fiber reinforced composites have been measured as functions of fiber volume fraction V_f. The axial extensional modulus C₃₃ and axial Poisson's ratio v₁₃ follow the rule of mixtures, while the axial shear modulus C₄₄, transverse shear modulus C₆₆, and transverse plane-strain bulk modulus C_t ( = C₁₁ − C₆₆) obey the Halpin-Tsai equation. Extrapolation to V_f = 1 gives the five stiffness constants of gel-spun polyethylene fiber. The tensile property of the fiber is highly anisotropic, with the axial Young's modulus about 40 times higher than the transverse Young's modulus. In contrast, the axial shear modulus exceeds the transverse shear modulus by only 5%. A similar treatment of the thermal expansivity data in terms of the Schapery equations gives an axial thermal expansivity of −1.25 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and a transverse thermal expansivity of 11.7 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ for the fiber.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of mechanical properties for polymorphous YTaO4 ceramics

In this work, the dense bulk polymorphous YTaO₄ ceramics with M or M' phase are synthesized by spark plasma sintering method accompanying with different tempering procedures. Combined with the nano-indentation and theoretical calculation, their mechanical properties are systematically investigated. The identification of crystal structure reveals that the YTaO₄ crystallizes into M phase (space group: I2/a) with higher tempering temperature, otherwise it crystallizes into M' phase (space group: P2/a). The results of mechanical properties indicate M-phase YTaO₄ possesses larger Young's modulus and hardness than that of M' phase. It is stemmed from the chemical bonding strength of M phase is stronger than that of M' phase, and the stronger bonding strength of M phase also results in its elastic resilience is superior to M' phase. Besides, on account of the low symmetry of monoclinic crystal system, the Young's modulus of polymorphous YTaO₄ ceramics exhibit strong anisotropy.     

Structural,magnetic and elastic properties of Mn0.3−xMgxCu0.2Zn0.5Fe3O4 nanoparticles

In this paper, Mn_0.3?xMg_xCu_0.2Zn_0.5Fe₃O₄ (x?=?0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30) nanoparticles were prepared by the nitrate-citrate technique at low temperature. The structural, microstructural, magnetic and elastic properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy and vibrating-sample magnetometer at room temperature. Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns indicated the formation of the single phase cubic spinel structure (space group Fd-3m) without any detectable impurity phase in all the samples that also was confirmed by FTIR studies. The lattice parameter is found to increase non-monotonically with an increase in Mg ion concentration. Also, the bond lengths and bond angles (A and B sites) of the studied ferrites were calculated by the refining of the XRD data. The values of the crystallite size decrease with increasing micro-strain (and conversely) and both of them reach extremum at x?=?0.15. The low remanence and coercivity values confirmed the formation of the superparamagnetic ferrites nanoparticles. The saturation magnetization of the samples gradually grows with Mg substitution and reach extremum at x?=?0.15. Variation of saturation magnetization with Mg content can be mainly attributed to change of cation distribution, and Yafet-Kittel angle occurred between magnetic moments on B-site in the samples. The values of Young's modulus, Debye temperature, bulk modulus, rigidity modulus of the samples were determined by the values of elastic constant and wave velocities obtained from the force constants. The improvement of the elastic properties of sample x?=?0.05 could be explained regarding the smaller values of the lattice parameter (a), the bond length and angle and the smaller crystallite size.     

Mechanical properties of epoxy networks based on DGEBA and aliphatic amines

The mechanical properties of epoxy networks based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resin cured with various linear aliphatic amines, such as ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, and cyclic amines such as 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)piperazine and isophorone diamine, were studied. General characteristics such as T_g, density, and packing density, were determined and related to the structure and funcionality of the curing agent. Dynamic mechanical spectra were used to study both the α and β relaxations. Tensile and the flexural tests were used to determine the Young's and flexural modulus, and fracture strength all in the glassy state. Furthermore, linear elastic fracture mechanics was used to determine K_IC. As a rule, isophorone diamine network presented the higher tensile and flexure modulus while 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)piperazine gave the highest toughness properties. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

High‐tensile‐strength polyvinyl alcohol films prepared from freeze/thaw cycled gels

The mechanical properties and molecular structure of a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film, which was obtained by eliminating water from a PVA hydrogel using repeated freeze/thaw cycles, were investigated by tensile tests, thermal analysis, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The mechanical properties of PVA with 99.9% saponification were measured as a function of the number of freeze/thaw cycles performed. The tensile strength and Young's modulus increased and the elongation at break decreased with increasing freeze/thaw cycles. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of PVA films obtained after seven freeze/thaw cycles were as high as 255 MPa and 13.5 GPa after annealing at 130°C. Thermal analysis and X‐ray diffraction measurements revealed that this is because of a high crystallinity and a large crystallite size. A good relationship between the tensile strength and the glass transition temperature was obtained, regardless of the degree of saponification and annealing conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40578.