Mechanical Properties of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene (tensylon) from Tensile Tests
Résumé
Results on mechanical properties of Tensylon composites at room temperature are presented. Single-ply and two-ply samples, obtained from the ply-precursor sheet (of two orthogonal layers) have been subjected to: load till failure in traction, at different strain rates (below 10-1 s-1) and cycles of successive loading and unloading and 5 min stress relaxation period. The characteristic times of relaxation are evaluated and the difference in values of Young modulus before and after the relaxation stage is established. A complex cyclic/relaxation test requires a visco-elasto-plastic model of Tensylon, and allows to quantify it. This model predicts the material behavior in other types of tests: for instance, it predicts strain rate independence of loading to failure in the considered strain rate range. Cyclic tests fulfilled at a fixed strain rate suggest that Tensylon is an elastoplastic material without noticeable viscosity. The proposed model, additively including nonlinear viscoelasticity and plastic flow with strengthening, shows a satisfactory agreement with experimental data. It also agrees that the material is strain-rate-insensitive in the range 10-3 s-1-10-1 s-1.