Abstract
The fractional increase in volume accompanying the isothermal extension of soft gum rubber was measured for four rubber samples at mean extensions of 14, 33, and 51%. The chain molecular weights Mc of the four samples were 5500, 5100, 4400, and 3000, with an estimated uncertainty of about 10% in each value of Mc. The observed fractional increase in volume ranged from 3.2×10−5 to 142×10−5, the latter value being observed for the sample of lowest chain molecular weight and at the extension of 51%. The experimental results for each sample have been represented by theoretical curves based on Gee's expression for the fractional increase in volume as a function of the sample extension. The theoretical curves exhibit good agreement with those of Gee, Stern, and Treloar. The process of fitting the theoretical curves to the experimental points constituted a determination of Young's modulus E for each rubber specimen. As a check on the experimental results, and also on the theory employed, determinations of E were also made by two additional methods, namely, from rough stess-strain curves, and from the relation E=3γρRT/Mc. With one exception, the internal agreement between the three determinations of E for the four different samples was satisfactory. The exception noted can probably be ascribed to the use of too small a value of Mc for the sample of lowest chain molecular weight.
Nanomechanics of few-layer materials: do individual layers slide upon folding?
