Polymer Chemistry Tensile Testing

In a tensile test, a sample of known dimensions (including thickness) is held between two clamps. As the sample is stretched, the force exerted by the instrument and the length (and sometimes cross-sectional area) of the sample are measured. This data can be used to construct a stress-strain curve and to calculate several mechanical properties of the polymer.

Picture courtesy of the Instron Corporation

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Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education through grants DUE #9950809 and DUE #9950296. Additional support was provided by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. PCOL faculty also acknowledge the National Science Teachers Association which awarded the PCOL Faculty Consortium the 1998 Gustav Ohaus Award for Innovation in College Science Teaching.

This page was last updated on July 11, 2000
whisnantdm@wofford.edu