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A New Technique for Characterization of Low Impedance Materials at Acoustic Frequencies

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Abstract

Measuring the mechanical properties of low impedance rubbery polymers at acoustic frequencies is a challenging problem due to the small signal amplitudes, relatively high loss, and the long wavelength of stress waves. One such material is solid polyurea (PU), an elastomeric copolymer, which has excellent chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties and is widely used as a coating (e.g. in truck bed lining) or blast protection (advanced helmet designs and concrete structures) material. Moreover, due to its heterogeneous structure, PU has a wide transition of thermo-mechanical behavior from rubber-like to glassy compared to most engineering polymers, which translates to a broader loss spectrum in frequency domain. In this study, we have developed a new test technique by modifying the split Hopkinson pressure bar and using ball impact to measure Young’s storage and loss moduli of polyurea at kHz frequencies. This will therefore fill the frequency gap between the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and ultrasonic (US) wave measurement. The measured Young’s storage and loss moduli from this technique are compared with the master curves of the moduli developed using experimental data of dynamic mechanical analysis and ultrasonic wave measurements. This technique is a direct measurement which provides more reliable data in the kHz frequency range and can be used to evaluate the reliability of other indirect estimations including master curves. The utility of this technique is not limited to polyurea and it can be used to characterize other low impedance materials at kHz frequencies.

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Acknowledgements

The experiments described in this paper were conducted at the Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials (CEAM) at the University of California, San Diego. The work was supported through ONR Grant N00014-09-1-1126 and DARPA Grant RDECOM W91CRB-10-1-0006 to University of California, San Diego and ONR Grants N00014-13-1-0392 and N00014-16-1-2458 to University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SCG Chemicals Co., Ltd., 1 Siam Cement Rd., Bangsue, Bangkok, 10800, Thailand

    W. Nantasetphong

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Road, Storrs, CT, 06269-3139, USA

    Z. Jia

  3. Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0416, USA

    M.A. Hasan & S. Nemat-Nasser

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA

    A.V. Amirkhizi

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  1. W. Nantasetphong
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  2. Z. Jia
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  3. M.A. Hasan
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  4. A.V. Amirkhizi
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  5. S. Nemat-Nasser
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Correspondence to A.V. Amirkhizi.

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Nantasetphong, W., Jia, Z., Hasan, M. et al. A New Technique for Characterization of Low Impedance Materials at Acoustic Frequencies. Exp Mech 58, 1311–1324 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-018-0413-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-018-0413-4

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