Mechanical characterization of polytetrafluoroethylene polymer using full-field displacement method

The aim of this work is to estimate two important material properties of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer by means of a single experimental test. The displacement fields around a crack tip are used for estimating the modulus of elasticity (or, Young's modulus) and Poisson's ratio. These parameters are evaluated by fitting linear fracture mechanic expression of displacement fields in the vicinity of the crack, for mode I, to the experimental data. Measurements of these displacements are carried out using digital image correlation (DIC) method. In this way, the experimental procedure is conducted by loading a double-edge-cracked plate specimen. In order to validate the results, two available experimental tests have been performed. The modulus of elasticity is determined by means of the tensile test, using a standard test machine. Moreover, the Poisson's ratio is obtained by measuring lateral compressive and longitudinal extensional strain using DIC method. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.