Measurement of Single Fiber Tensile Properties M.S.

Ellison To conduct single fiber testing, the first step is to mount the fibers individually on window or C cards (see drawing below). It is important that the adhesive extend to the edge of the card, but no further, in that the size of the window is used as the initial length of the test specimen. Recommended adhesives include tape (for weak fibers) and Duco cement (for strong fibers). Superglue is not recommended, except as follows. For very strong fibers, or if adhesion is poor, a sandwich structure may be employed. In this case, a cyanoacrylate (superglue) is appropriate. The fiber is held between two cards and pressure is applied. The Instron tensile testing machine may be programmed for several test protocols: we will discuss the constant rate of extension method (CRE) here. In this case, the "crosshead," the mobile part of the load frame, moves at a constant rate, irrespective of the length of the fiber (thus it is not a true constant rate of elongation method), or of the load on the fiber (so it is not a constant rate of loading method). In the CRE method, the crosshead moves downward at a constant rate to apply the load to the fiber. The load is measured by the load cell in the stationary top cross-member of the Instron. The electrical signal from the load-cell is sent to the control cabinet and computer, for display on either the strip-chart recorder, or the display terminal. Our discussion will focus on the chart recorder method. From the trace on the chart recorder*, both the load and the extension of the fiber can be calculated. Force or load, measured in grams, is displayed on the horizontal axis (crossmachine direction) and the extension will be calculated from the vertical axis (machine direction). The values of load and extension of the fiber depend on the settings of the machine. [*Most current machines do calculations and provide the operator with a stress strain plot. It is instructive to consider how this is done.] The actual gram-force on the fiber, relative to the position of the trace in the horizontal direction, is dependent on the full scale load (FSL) calibration, and the FSL setting on the control panel. For example, consider using a calibration weight of 10.0 g. With the FSL setting at 1.0 the instrument is adjusted to give a full scale deflection (a full ten inches on the chart paper) with this 10.0 g load. Thus, each inch horizontal deflection on the chart corresponds to one gram load in the fiber. The FSL dial acts as a multiplier: setting it to "2" means that a full scale deflection would be 20 g, FSL=5 would correspond to 50 g at full scale deflection, or each inch deflection being equal to 5 grams in the fiber. The actual load in the fiber, L, is calculated as the fraction of the full scale scale deflection (or the number of major divisions) at the position of the trace, f, times the calibration factor, k: L = fk , where (1)

k = (calibration mass)x(FSL setting) , presuming that the calibration was done with FSL=1. If you are using the number of inches at the trace position instead of the fraction of the full scale deflection, then the calibration factor is the number of grams per inch. This gives you the load. In order to calculate the specific stress, or tenacity, you must divide the load by the linear density, such as, denier. The calculated extension of the fiber depends on the speed of the cross-head relative to that of the chart drive. For the sake of illustration, we will assume that with an initial fiber length ("gage length") of 1 cm, the crosshead traverse speed is set to be 1 cm per minute. This corresponds to a rate of extension of 100% of the initial length per minute. If the chart speed is 10 cm per minute, each cm of motion of the chart corresponds to 0.1 cm of elongation of the fiber. That is, the elongation of the fiber, , is calculated as:

=
where

[crosshead speed ] x n chart speed

(2)

n= number of cm on the chart from the start of the extension to the trace position. The extension of the fiber, as we have defined it, is the elongation relative to the gage length, l0, and the strain, , is the extension expressed as a percentage:

= l x 100 % 0

(3)

Knowing how to calculate the load and elongation of the fiber at any point on the trace on the chart enables the calculation of other fiber parameters. The modulus (recall that this is the ratio of specific stress to strain) in the initial region requires estimating the initial linear portion of the trace. Drawing a straight line as shown from the zero-load baseline to the FSL line makes the calculation easier. The initial modulus is then 10k l0 Y= X x d where d is the linear density and

(4)

X=

[crosshead speed ] x (y) chart speed

(5)

The yield point may be calculated from the chart coordinates as a specific stress and strain.

The work of rupture is the area under the load elongation curve. Note that this is the load-elongation curve, not the stress-strain curve. The specific work of rupture accounts for the sample length and linear density. The work of rupture may be calculated from the chart trace by counting the squares "under" the trace. In this case, "under" is relative to the left-hand side of the paper, the line of zero load. It is not the "bottom," which may be the starting point of the run (zero time). Letting N be the number of squares under the trace, the work of rupture, W is calculated as W = Nw where w is the "work of rupture" of each square, w = ' x k' where, presuming a 1 cm by 1 inch square, (7) (6)

' =
and

[crosshead speed ] x (1 cm) chart speed

k' = the number of grams per inch. This gives you the work of rupture in gf-cm; to convert it to specific work of rupture, see Morton and Hearle, pp. 269-270. MOUNTING CARDS:

TENSILE TESTING FRAME

FRAME LOAD CELL AND UPPER GRIP

LOWER GRIP CROSSHEAD