Edgar Snchez Prados

Aleix Matabacas Enebral

Stephen Rhoton Melndez

Material properties exercise report

1. Objective and procedure
The aim of this exercise is to characterize the mechanical behavior of starch/barley straw
composites, doing tests to four different materials composed by a matrix of starch and
different concentrations of barley straw.
The tests for this characterization of the materials are related to density measurements,
tensile tests at 0'5%-1%/min strain rates for some of the samples, and creep tests only for the
pure starch sample but at three different temperatures.

2. Density measurements
Here we present the table of the different densities for each one of the materials:
Material
0% of fiber

Density
(g/cm3)
1,3684

Standard deviation
(g/cm3)
0,0547

Fraction of
fiber
0

Fraction of
matrix
1

5% of fiber

1,3643

0,0508

0,0487

0,9513

10% of fiber

1,3597

0,0317

0,1027

0,8973

20% of fiber

1,3508

0,0793

0,2082

0,7918

As we can see in the results, the fractions that we obtained with the calculations of
percentage of each one of the materials are very close to what the labels says. The one with 20%
of fiber has the highest difference, but is still within a reasonable range.

3. Fracture behavior
On the videos we can observe the same test carried out in three composite materials and
one with only the matrix compound. The test consist in deforming the material at 10%/min.
In the material composed only by starch (matrix material) we can see that it has the major
ductility; this material deforms more time than the others before it breaks. As we increase the
barley straw concentration (%wt) in the other materials, we can appreciate that they present a
lesser ductility and become more brittle. In other words, the materials deform less and break
in less time as the concentration of barley straw increases.

4. Analysis of the tensile tests

The stress-strain curves at 0'5%/min are the following:

Stress-strain for 0% of fiber material

40000
35000

Stress (kPa)

30000

25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

Strain

Stress-strain for 5% of fiber material

70000
60000

Stress (kPa)

50000
40000

30000
20000
10000
0
0

0,2

0,4

0,6
Strain

0,8

1,2

Stress-strain for 20% of fiber

material
300000

Stress (kPa)

250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
0

0,05

0,1

0,15

0,2

Strain

The Young's modulus at 2 and at 5 minutes for each material (and both at 0'5-1%/min strain
rates) are the following:

Young's modulus (kPa)

Material
0'5%/min
1%/min
0'5%/min
1%/min
0'5%/min
1%/min

0%
of
fiber
5%
of
fiber
20%
of
fiber

At 2
minutes

At 5
minutes

353259

376199

451681

331853

349230

371909

1007542

659554

13008168

8140842

9465310

---

Note that for the material with 20% of fiber and at 1%/min strain rate, we don't have any
information after 3'85 minutes, so we can't really say what Young's modulus it would have at
minute 5 of the strain test.
Next step is to calculate the hypothetical Youngs modulus at 50%wt of fiber material. To do
the calculations, first well need to find the average Youngs modulus of each material sample
at the different strain rates as shown on the next table:

x (%wt)
0
5
20

E (kPa)
0,5%/min
1%/min
96355,52445 180167,218
151238,373 358885,224
4436463,599 7967349,03

Once we have this data we can plot the Youngs modulus over the concentration and then we
can estimate E at 50%wt. If we take the three values at a strain rate of 0,5%/min well get the
following plot:
5000000
4000000

E [kPa]

3000000
2000000
1000000
0
0

10

-1000000

15

20

25

x [%wt]

As we can see, theres some strange behavior. Instead of using the three values, well just use
the ones for x=5%wt and x=20%wt. Well delete the value at x=0%wt. This way, well have
linear plot that will allow us to calculate the needed Youngs modulus. At a 50%wt we consider
E1 as the E at 0,5%/min rate and E2 as the E at 1%/min rate.

E at 50%wt and 0,5%/min rate

5000000

y = 285682x - 1E+06
R = 1

4500000
4000000
E [kPa]

3500000

3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000
0
0

10

15

20

x [%wt]

From which we obtain:

1 = 285682 50 1 106 =

25

E at 50%wt and 1%/min rate

9000000

y = 507231x - 2E+06
R = 1

8000000
7000000
E [kPa]

6000000
5000000
4000000
3000000
2000000
1000000
0
0

10

15

20

25

x [%wt]

From which we obtain:

2 = 507231 50 2 106 =
Once we know this data, we can use both the loading along and the loading across to calculate
the Youngs modulus of the hypothesis. Well use the following expressions:
Loading along:
= + ( ) = 13284100 0,5 + 23361550 (1 0,5) =
Loading across:
=

1
=
= ,

0,5
1 0,5
+
+

13284100 23361550

And the results obtained are the ones on this table:

Loading along
Loading across

E = 18322825 kPa
E = 16937189,9 kPa

5. Analysis of the tensile tests of pure starch at different temperatures

In order to know the stress value when stable creep flow is observed for each given
temperature, we can look at the respective graphics. Note that, in this case, the strain-rate for
all the temperature was 0'5%/min:

Stress-strain at 15C
100000
90000

Tension (kPa)

80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

Strain

We can see a stable creep flow between 30-40% of strain. The tension value in this interval is
around 93431,27 kPa.

Stress-strain at 25C
50000
45000
40000
Stress (kPa)

35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

Strain

We can observe that the stable creep flow is around the same strain, but the stress applied
is a lot lower. In this case, is that of 46011,8 kPa.

Stress-strain at 29C
40000
35000

Tension (kPa)

30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
-5000

0,2

0,4
Strain

0,6

0,8

So, we can observe again, the stable creep flow around the same strain, and the stress applied
is lower. In this case, is that of 35637,48 kPa.

Stress-strain at 35C
30000

Stress (kPa)

25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

Strain

Here we have the stable creep flow for the same interval of strain, but even lower stress is
needed than in the previous test. For a temperature of 35C, the stress applied during the
stable creep flow is 23766,23 kPa.
The following thing to obtain is a graphic of the nepierian logarithm of the strain rate to stress
ratio versus the inverse of temperature at K and, from there, determine the activation energy
for creep flow.

ln(Stress)

ln(Stress) vs 1/T
11,6
11,4
11,2
11
10,8
10,6
10,4
10,2
10
9,8
0,0032 0,00325 0,0033 0,00335 0,0034 0,00345 0,0035

y = 6178,8x - 9,9371
R = 0,9966

LN stress
Linear (LN stress)

1/T [K-1]

With the equation given by the plot, we can calculate now the activation energy for creep flow,
which is 61399,35 J/mol. In fact, were considering that the slope (m) follows the following
equation:

Where Q is the activation energy on J/mol and R is the gas constant taking a value of R=8,134
J/molK.
Knowing the activation energy and the model for the creep flow, we can predict the stress
necessary to generate a strain rate of 2%/min at a temperature of 10C, after some operations
which is 580034,96 kPa.

To get to this final result we first need to calculate the logarithm of the stress at 10C from the
data we obtained on the plot and from there we must find first the paramater A before we can
calculate the stress at 10C and a strain rate of 2%/min. Thus, parting from the data of the plot
we determine the stress at 10C and 0,5%/min strain rate and then the parameter A we need.
The procedure is as follows:

1
ln() = 6178,8 (
) 9,9371 = 11,88
283,15
stress = 11,88 = 145008,74

= = 103,41

Where is the strain rate.

Once we know the A parameter we can calculate the strain or stress at 10C and a strain rate of
2%/min. It will be:
6178,8 /

0,02min1 8,314 283,15

= =

= ,

103,41