Properties of reinforced polystyrene in short-time tension,compression, and bending

The mechanical properties of reinforced polystyrene in short-time tension, compression, and bending have been experimentally investigated. Specimens of nine different reinforced-polystyrene compositions with reinforcement ratios of 18.7, 12, and 6.75% and wire diameters of 2, 1, and 0.5 mm were tested. The reinforcement consisted of steel or brass wire. The method of preparing the laboratory specimens is described. The principal results of machine tests on reinforced- and unreinforced-polystyrene specimens are presented. It is shown that certain reinforced-polystyrene compositions possess the properties of a Cosserat medium.Kharkov Structural Engineering Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 1059–1064, November–December, 1968.