Design of a micro tensile setup used for mechanical properties of polymer thin film

• Main Author: Ngo, Kee Siang.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Mechanical strength of materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45254
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

One important materials trait is their mechanical properties. Their strength, their performance under stress, their physical limitations are important parameters to know when selecting materials. Understanding the mechanical properties of materials will allow user to select materials with prudence. Tensile testing is very fundamental test to learn about the materials strength when being pulled. An addition of micro tensile setup to the aerospace structure lab will allow tensile testing for materials like fiber, thin films etc. This micro tensile setup can be made by doing some alterations to the existing micro compressive setup. This report looks into how the micro compressive setup with minimal alterations allows a workable micro tensile setup to be up and running. Material choice to be tested is polymer thin films as they are garnering increasing interests due to their widespread use in a large number of modern technologies. Polymer thin films are good candidates as they could pose problems for the tensile setup due to their micrometer thinness. Experimental results for the tested polymer thin films will then be checked on their coherence to the predicted results. This is done by tensile testing under varying strain rates and choices of two different thickness test specimens. Strain rates and thickness are studied on how they have an effect on the outcome of the stress strain curve of the polymer thin films.