The plasticity of a material is an important physical property that is necessary for the manufacturing of plastic parts. It can be defined as the ability of a material to deform under stress and return to its original shape when the stress is released. The degree to which a material can be plastically deformed or stretched without breaking or cracking is known as its strain. Generally, materials like metals and some polymers can deform plastically before breaking. However, the strain of the plastic material is reduced as the operating temperature and loading frequency is increased. The degree of plastic strain a material can withstand is dependent on its strain properties: yield strength, impact strength, reduction in area, modulus of elasticity and elongation.
Strain testing of a material is therefore essential in order to determine its suitability and performance in various industrial applications. For example, moulded products can only be produced with a material that is capable of being formulated, processed and heat treated properly to obtain the desired physical and chemical characteristics. In order to ensure that the moulded products retain their desired shape and feature, a testing system or machine is used to determine the strain of the material and its ability to retain its structure when subjected to different temperatures, pressures and strains.
The strain testing machine utilised for plastic strain testing is known as the Rubotron and it is capable of applying bending or tensile forces to a sample specimen of any form or shape to evaluate the strain in the material. The test is performed by placing the specimen into the machine and gradually increasing the applied force until the specimen yields or breaks. The strain is then reported in order to determine the amount of strain a material can withstand. The test measures the minimum force required to cause plastic deformation of the material, the maximum force the material can endure before breaking, and other strain related properties such as the modulus of elasticity.
The strain test results are used by engineers and product designers to determine the best design concepts for their products and applications. Additionally, the strain test results are often used to select the right material for a specific application. The strain test results can be compared among different materials in order to determine which material can handle more strain in various conditions. The strain test results can also be used to determine the properties needed for a given application, such as the maximum force and elongation the material needs to be able to withstand.
In conclusion, the plastic strain test is an important and necessary evaluation for determining the suitability of materials for an application. The strain test results allow designers to ensure that the materials chosen for their applications will optimally perform under the strain of operation and provide peace of mind to manufacturers that the materials chosen for their products will stand the test of time.
