Quasi-static Tensile Response of Polymer Films and Metallic Foils

Author(s):

C Allan Gunnarsson, Eric Wetzel, and Minghui Li

Abstract:

This report presents the quasi-static tensile properties of polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyetherimide, 1100 series aluminum foil, and alloy 260 brass foil. Multiple methods for specimen fabrication were considered, including laser cutting, machining, water jetting, and blade cutting. For polymer films, the best results were achieved using a computer numerical–controlled blade cutter to produce dogbone–shaped specimens. For metal foils, no suitable means of dogbone fabrication were found, so manually blade-cut rectangular specimens were used. Digital image correlation was used for optical strain measurement in the gage section. The resulting tensile stiffness, strength, and elongation properties for films and foils are equal to or higher than previously published values, suggesting that the present methods are superior for characterizing intrinsic material response.