Measuring the Complex Modulus of Polyvinyl Chloride
Publication Number: 5990-6330EN
Publication Date: 2014.12.04
Language: English
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Measuring the Complex Modulus of Polyvinyl Chloride

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Introduction

Polymers are often employed in engineering designs because of their ability to damp out shock and vibration. Rubber tires certainly provide a more comfortable ride than wooden wagon wheels! A materials’ ability to elastically store energy is characterized by the storage modulus (E’); the ability to damp is characterized by the loss modulus (E”). The complex modulus (E*) is often used to characterize polymers, because it incorporates both of these capacities:

E* = E’ + iE”.

For bulk samples of material, complex modulus can be measured using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The sample is oscillated in tension, compression, or bend, and the complex modulus is determined from the sample’s response to the oscillation. Several commercial vendors offer equipment for making such large-scale measurements. Keysight Technologies, Inc. indentation systems equipped with the CSM option offer the ability to oscillate the indenter. In this way, the complex modulus can be determined from a proper analysis of the contact [1-3]. Instrumented indentation offers two important advantages over DMA in measuring complex modulus.