In situ materials characterization using the tissue diagnostic instrument

Simon Y. Tang, Phillip Mathews, Connor Randall, Eugene Yurtsev, Kirk Fields, Andrew Wong, Alfred C. Kuo, Tamara Alliston, Paul Hansma

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

An understanding of the mechanical behavior of polymers is critical towards the design, implementation, and quality control of such materials. Yet experiments and method for the characterization of material properties of polymers remain challenging due the need to reconcile constitutive assumptions with experimental conditions. Well-established modes of mechanical testing, such as unconfined compression or uniaxial tension, require samples with specific geometries and carefully controlled orientations. Moreover, producing specimens that conform to such specifications often requires a considerable amount of sample material. In this study we validate a micromechanical indentation device, the Tissue Diagnostic Instrument (TDI), which implements a cyclic indentation method to determine the material properties of polymers and elastomeric materials. Measurements using the TDI require little or no sample preparation, and they allow the testing of sample materials in situ. In order to validate the use of the TDI, we compared measurements of modulus determined by the TDI to those obtained by unconfined compression tests and by uniaxial tension tests within the limit of small stresses and strains. The results show that the TDI measurements were significantly correlated with both unconfined compression (p < 0.001; r2 = 0.92) and uniaxial tension tests (p < 0.001; r2 = 0.87). Moreover, the measurements across all three modes of testing were statistically indistinguishable from each other (p = 0.92; ANOVA) and demonstrate that TDI measurements can provide a surrogate for the conventional methods of mechanical characterization.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)159-163
Number of pages5
JournalPolymer Testing
Volume29
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2010

Keywords

  • Dynamic indentation
  • In situ material characterization
  • Mechanical testing

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