Rheometric measurement of hydrogel toughness

Author(s)
Read, Helen E.S.B.Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
Gareth H. McKinley,
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Abstract
As soft physical gels become more popular due to their biological applications, there is increased interest in measuring mechanical properties such as toughness. However, traditional tensile testing methods do not work for such materials due to the intrinsic softness of the material. We present a novel method for measuring fracture energy using a rheometer and show it is broadly consistent with the pure shear test, a standard method where the material exhibits mode I fracture. This method has potential applications in characterizing a wide range of soft and transient gels.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, May, 2020
 
Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis.
 
Includes bibliographical references (pages 11-12).
 
Date issued
2020
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127870
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Mechanical Engineering.
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