The deformation and fracture of balloons

Inflation of balloons provides a straightforward way of achieving large biaxial deformations. Previous studies have shown that when a balloon bursts, crack propagation occurs at very high speed – much higher than would be expected from the low strain modulus and elastic wave velocity of the rubber. The present paper is concerned with studies of the deformation and fracture of cylindrical balloons. On inflation, the deformations of such a balloon pass through an unstable region but subsequently increase monotonically with pressure. In this relatively high pressure region, the ratio of the longitudinal and circumferential extension ratios is broadly in accord with expectations from high-strain elasticity theory when the ratio of the corresponding stresses is taken into account. On bursting, crack speeds up to around 300 m/s in this region. It is shown that these speeds are in accord with large increase in incremental moduli for the highly-strained rubber. Marked changes in crack tip profile observed at very high crack speeds are consistent with control of the rate of growth by inertia rather than by the viscoelastic properties of the rubber (as is believed to be the case at lower speeds). Consistent with this, various elastomers having different glass transition temperatures show similar crack growth behaviour in the very high speed region.     

Fracture toughening of epoxy matrices with blends of resins of different molecular weights and other modifiers

The microstructure and fracture behavior of epoxy mixtures containing two monomers of different molecular weights were studied. The variation of the fracture toughness by the addition of other modifiers was also investigated. Several amounts of high‐molecular‐weight diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) oligomer were added to a nearly pure DGEBA monomer. The mixtures were cured with an aromatic amine, showing phase separation after curing. The curing behavior of the epoxy mixtures was investigated with thermal measurements. A significant enhancement of the fracture toughness was accompanied by slight increases in both the rigidity and strength of the mixtures that corresponded to the content of the high‐molecular‐weight epoxy resin. Dynamic mechanical and atomic force microscopy measurements indicated that the generated two‐phase morphology was a function of the content of the epoxy resin added. The influence of the addition of an oligomer or a thermoplastic on the morphologies and mechanical properties of both epoxy‐containing mixtures was also investigated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3920–3933, 2004     

A novel specimen for investigating the mechanical behavior of elastomers under multiaxial loading conditions

In this paper we describe the design and manufacture of an axial-torsion test specimen, and provide relationships needed when conducting stress-strain characterization experiments with the specimen. The specimen is a short hollow cylinder of rubber bonded between two steel mounting rings, in which simultaneous axial and shear strains are produced via independently controlled axial and twist displacements. We present calculations for the strain-displacement and stress-load relationships, and strain energy density. These relationships have been established and validated via a combination of analytical and experimental techniques, and finite element analysis. We have investigated the extent and effects of strain and stress field non-uniformity in the test specimen. The specimen design is sufficiently simple that a closed-form expression for the strain-displacement relationship has been successfully developed.     

On existence and stability in the theory of swelling porous elastic soils

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new functional in thestudy of swelling porous elastic soils saturated by a fluid.This new functional is a useful tool; it allows us to provethe existence of solutions in the case of a compressible fluid.We also prove the stability of solutions and the exponentialdecay in the case of an incompressible fluid. We study as wellthe continuous dependence with respect to the initial time.     

On the Constituent Structure of a Classical Mixture

Thiw work is concerned with the formulation of constituent interactions and corresponding balance relations in classical mixture theory as based on a model for the (classical) constituent structure of such a mixture.     

Chain length effect on dynamical structure of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone)-polar solvent mixtures in dilute solution of dioxane studied by microwave dielectric relaxation measurement

Dielectric relaxation study of the binary mixtures of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) (Mw=24000, 40000 and 360000 g mol⁻¹) with ethyl alcohol (EA) and poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) (Mw=200 and 400 g mol⁻¹) in dilute solutions of dioxane were carried out at 10.1 GHz and 35°C. The relaxation time of PVP-EA mixtures was interpreted by the consideration of a wait-and-switch model in the local structure of self-associated ethyl alcohol molecules and also the PVP chain length as a geometric constraint for the reorientational motion of ethyl alcohol molecules. The formation of complexes and effect of PVP chain length on the molecular dynamics, chain flexibility and stretching of PEG molecules in PVP-PEG mixtures were explored from the comparative values of dielectric relaxation time. Further, relaxation time values in dioxane and benzene solvent confirm the viscosity independent molecular dynamics in PVP-EA mixtures but the values vary significantly with the non-polar solvent environment.     

Equation of convective diffusion of a multicomponent mixture in a capillary for an arbitrary velocity field

It is shown that the convective transport in a binary mixture in the presence of vortex convection can be described in terms of Fick’s law with an effective diffusion coefficient independent of the concentration. The form of the effective diffusion coefficient is found for arbitrary convection in the mixture. A generalization of the Stefan-Maxwell diffusion equation is proposed to include an arbitrary rotational mixture velocity field. The characteristics of convective transport are considered with reference to a three-component mixture. A solution of the equation of three-component mixture transport through a long capillary in the presence of convection homogeneous along the capillary axis is presented. It is established that for sharply different component diffusion coefficients a mixture density extremum may appear inside the capillary and then change or disappear depending on the convective flow intensity.     

On the dynamic electromechanical loading of dielectric elastomer membranes

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have received considerable attention recently due to large voltage-induced strains, which can be over 100%. Previously, a large deformation quasi-static model that describes the out-of-plane deformations of clamped diaphragms was derived. The numerical model results compare well with quasi-static experimental results for the same configuration. With relevance to dynamic applications, the time-varying response of initially planar dielectric elastomer membranes configured for out-of-plane deformations has not been reported until now. In this paper, an experimental investigation and analysis of the dynamic response of a dielectric elastomer membrane is reported. The experiments were conducted with prestretched DEAs fabricated from 0.5 mm thick polyacrylate films and carbon grease electrodes. The experiments covered the electromechanical spectrum by investigating membrane response due to (i) a time-varying voltage input and (ii) a time-varying pressure input, resulting in a combined electromechanical loading state in both cases. For the time-varying voltage experiments, the membrane had a prestretch of three and was passively inflated to various predetermined states, and then actuated. The pole strains incurred during the inflation were as high as 25.6%, corresponding to slightly less than a hemispherical state. On actuation, the membrane would inflate further, causing a maximum additional strain of 9.5%. For the time-varying pressure experiments, the prestretched membrane was inflated and deflated mechanically while a constant voltage was applied. The membrane was cycled between various predetermined inflation states, the largest of which was nearly hemispherical, which with an applied constant voltage of 3 kV corresponded to a maximum polar strain of 28%. The results from these experiments reveal that the response of the membrane is a departure from the classical dynamic response of continuum membrane structures. The dynamic response of the membrane is that of a damped system with specific deformation shapes reminiscent of the classical membrane mode shapes but without same-phase oscillation, that is to say all parts of the system do not pass through the equilibrium configuration at the same time. Of particular interest is the ability to excite these deformations through a varying electrical load at constant mechanical pressure.     

Critical evaluation of gas standards based on hydrogen

Summary Six commercial hydrogen standards containing helium, oxygen, nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide at trace levels were analyzed by gas chromatography, for periods up to 105 days. The concentrations, in the range of 0–120 μmol mol⁻¹, were stable (with the exception of oxygen) but often significantly different from the certified values provided by the suppliers, especially for helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Concurrently, some experiments were carried out to verify the stability of gas mixtures based on hydrogen stored in cylinders submitted to different chemical and physical treatments. The causes that led to the deviations observed, as well as the decreases in oxygen, are discussed. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996.