Graduation Year
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.M.S.E.
Degree Name
MS in Materials Science and Engineering (M.S.M.S.E)
Department
Chemical Engineering
Degree Granting Department
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Major Professor
Alex. A. Volinsky, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Nathan Gallant, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Manoj K. Ram, Ph.D.
Keywords
Elastic Modulus, Mechanical Properties, Soft Material, Viscoelasticty, Zener Model
Abstract
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mechanical properties were measured using custom-built compression test device. PDMS elastic modulus can be varied with the elastomer base to the curing agent ratio, i.e. by changing the cross-linking density. PDMS samples with different crosslink density in terms of their elastic modulus were measured. In this project the PDMS samples with the base/curing agent ratio ranging from 5:1 to 20:1 were tested. The elastic modulus varied with the amount of the crosslinker, and ranged from 0.8 MPa to 4.44 MPa. The compression device was modified by adding digital displacement gauges to measure the lateral strain of the sample, which allowed obtaining the true stress-strain data. Since the unloading behavior was different than the loading behavior of the viscoelastic PDMS, it was utilized to asses viscoelastic properties of the polymer. The thesis describes a simple method for measuring mechanical properties of soft polymeric materials.
Scholar Commons Citation
Fincan, Mustafa, "Assessing Viscoelastic Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Using Loading and Unloading of the Macroscopic Compression Test" (2015). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/5480
Included in
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Materials Science and Engineering Commons
