Page 18 - POLYMER TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER 2: MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES

FOR PLASTIC MATERIALS

2.1 Mechanical properties of plastic materials

Plastic materials are widely used to replace metal, ceramics and other engineering
materials. The mechanical properties of plastic materials are important in determining
whether plastic materials are suitable to be used to replace other engineering
materials.
What are the mechanical properties?
Characteristics that indicate the elastic or inelastic behaviour of material under
pressure (force), such as bending, brittleness, elongation, hardness, and tensile
strength.

a. Flexural Strength
Flexural strength is the ability of the material to withstand bending forces applied
perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. The stresses induced due to the flexural load are
a combination of compressive and tensile stresses. Therefore, the maximum tensile
stress value under bending before the beam fails is considered its flexural strength.
Flexural or Bending test are test used to determine the flexural strength of rigid
materials. There are two type of Flexural test, three-point bending and four-point
bending test.

(a)

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