Dynamic mechanical analyzer test method

This study looked used a series of polyethylene samples to determine alternate methods to measure their Melt Index values. These methods used a controlled rate capillary rheometer and a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer. Both methods showed reasonable estimates of around 1 gram/10 minutes for most of the samples tested. The DMA was able to improve its estimate of the Melt Index by doing a multiple regression with both complex viscosity and the Tan5 value. 

These tests form the classical methods of testing, but the use of dynamic mechanical analyzers are becoming more popular, especially those that can operate from subambient temperatures to 150°C and above. 

Several other tests are used to correlate properties with the working conditions. The dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) is used to measure modulus and viscoelastic properties related to ductility. By using the DMA test method, the degradation in modulus could be imderstood and applied to the end use application. The effect of the environmental conditions is also tested the esthetic durability in heated environments is not restricted to warp and relaxation attributed to creep. Creep and stress relaxation tests are also done on SMC/BMC for their structural applications. The retention of color is critical for a heated appliance application. BMC/SMC can be formulated to offer excellent color stability when exposed to high temperatures. 

Continuous scans of modulus versus temperature utilizing the DuPont Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) has provided a comparison of the high temperature service capabilities of radiation-cured experimental formulations of a vinyl-modified epoxy resin. Shell Epocryl-12. These scans were compared to data obtained when the same materials were applied as adhesives on aluminum test panels, radiation-cured with an electron beam, and lap shear strength tested at discrete temperatures. The DMA instrument utilizes a thin rectangular specimen for the analysis, so specimens can be cut from blocks or from flat sheets. In this case the specimens were cured as sheets of resin-saturated graphite-fibers. The same order of high temperature stability was obtained by each method. However, the DMA method provided a more complete characterization of temperature performance in a much shorter test time and thus, it can be very useful for quick analyses of formulation and processing variables in many types of materials optimization studies. The paper will present details of this study with illustrations of the comparisons. 

E2254, Standard Test Method for Storage Modulus Calibration of Dynamic Mechanical Analyzers... 

This chapter covers some of the methods and instruments used to determine the mechanical properties of polymers. Examples of instrument designs and typical data generated in these measurements will be introduced. In particular, automated axial tensiometers (to find elastic modulus, yield stress, and ultimate stress), dynamic mechanical analyzers (to determine storage and loss moduli), and rheometers (to measure flow viscosity) will be introduced. This chapter considers the principles behind the devices used to establish and measure the properties of viscometric flows. One of the common techniques used to determine viscous flow properties, PoisueiUe (laminar) flow in cylindrical tubes, is also important in technical applications, as polymer melts and solutions are often transported and processed in this manner. The time-temperature superposition principle is also covered as a way to predict polymer behavior over long timescales by testing materials across a range of temperatures. 

Two types of shrink testing were conducted on these films, and these methods are as follows (1) fixed length shrink force testing, and (2) free shrink testing. A TA Instruments ARES-LS rheometer and a TA Instruments Q800 Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) were employed, respectively, to perform these two shrink tests. The rotational rheometer (ARES-LS) was used to conduct the fixed length shrink force test. In this test, the length of the film was fixed and the normal force was... 

Glass transition temperature, Tg, and storage modulus, E , were measured to explore how the pigment dispersion affects the material (i.e. cross-link density) and mechanical properties. Both Tg and E were determined from dynamic mechanical analysis method using a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA, TA Instruments RSA III) equipped with transient testing capability. A minimum of 3 to 4 specimens were analyzed from each sample. The estimated uncertainties of data are one-standard deviation. 

Dynamic mechanical tests have been widely applied in the viscoelastic analysis of polymers and other materials. The reason for this has been the technical simplicity of the method and the low tensions and deformations used. The response of materials to dynamic perturbation fields provides information concerning the moduli and the compliances for storage and loss. Dynamic properties are of considerable interest when they are analyzed as a function of both frequency and temperature. They permit the evaluation of the energy dissipated per cycle and also provide information concerning the structure of the material, phase transitions, chemical reactions, and other technical properties, such as fatigue or the resistance to impact. Of particular relevance are the applications in the field of the isolation of vibrations in mechanical engineering. The dynamic measurements are a... 

Pellicle and tea-immersed pellicle were analyzed using nanoDMA (dynamic mechanical analysis) to see if the tannins had an effect on the viscoelasticity of the pellicle. NanoDMA is a technique used to study and characterize mechanical properties in viscoelastic materials. The method is an extension of nanoindentation testing [58, 59], An analysis of the nanoindentation load-depth curve gives the hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (E ), provided the area of contact, A, between the indenter tip and the sample is known [ 13]. By... 

Thermal stability properties are measured by two complementary methods, i.e. tensile-type measurements at elevated temperatures using a hot-air environmental chamber and also the Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analyzer (DMTA) method. In the DMT A test a small rectangular strip (40 mm X 10 mm x 2 mm) is subjected to constant cyclic deformation over a changing temperature range and the storage modulus ( ) recorded and used to relate change of stiffness with temperature. 

To analyze reaction mechanisms in complex catalytic systems, the application of micropulse techniques in small catalytic packed beds has been used. Christoffel [33] has given an introduction to these techniques in a comprehensive review of laboratory reactors for heterogeneous catalytic processes. Mtlller and Hofmann [59,61] have tested the dynamic method in the packed bed reactor to investigate complex heterogeneous reactions. Kinetic parameters have been evaluated by a method, which employs concentration step changes and the time derivatives of concentration transients at the reactor outlet as caused by a concentration step change at the reactor inlet. 

The development of the WPCs for load-bearing structural applications necessitates the characterization of their strain rate-dependent mechanical properties. In this regard, the effect of strain rate on flexural properties of WPG was addressed by Tamrakar and Lopez [49]. The strain at failure was not significantly influenced by the strain rate variation. A prediction model for the effects on strain rate on the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of WPG material was demonstrated based on the viscoelastic standard solid model. Yu et al. [50] analyzed the variability of the dynamic young s modulus of WPG, which was measured by different non-destructive test (NDT) methods. They also estimated the correlativity between the dynamic Young s modulus and the static MOE of WPG. 

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