Poisson's Ratio for Viscoelastic Materials*

I R V I N KRAUSE, A N T H O N Y J. SEGRETO** AND HANS PRZIREMBEL***

Fairleioh Dickinson University, Teaneck, N. J. (U.S.A.)

R I C H A R D L. M A C H
Research Division, American Standard, Piscataway, N. J. (U.S.A.)

(Received June 29, 1966; revised August 10, 1966)

SUMMARY

A technique for obtaining Poisson's ratio for materials
undergoing large strains has been developed. The
change in volume of a specimen is measured during a
compression test which allows specimen volume to be
obtained as a function of compressive strain in the
specimen. Once volume changes have been obtained,
Poisson's ratio may be computed from the volume
changes by means of the relationships derived for
large strains. The volume change is measured by
compressing the specimen while it is submerged in
mercury and simultaneously recording the mercury
liquid level and crosshead movement of the testing
machine. Readings were taken at time intervals large
enough so that adequate time elapsed for near-
equilibrium conditions to prevail. The reproducibility
and accuracy of each of the pertinent dimensions and
measurements were also carefully determined so that
the error in the computed Poisson's ratio could be
evaluated. Error analysis indicates that Poisson's
ratio can easily be determined by this technique
within an error of 0.005. Experimental results also
indicate that values of Poisson's ratio that exceed
0.500 have been measured which may mean that this
technique may be used to detect phase changes in the
material.

RESUMF.

Une technique permettant de dOterminer le coefficient simultanOment le niveau du mercure et le dOplace-

de Poisson dans des matOriaux possOdant une grande
capacitO de ddformation a OtO dOveloppOe. On mesure
le changement de volume d'une dprouvette au cours
d'un essai de compression et on obtient ainsi la
variation du volume de rdprouvette en fonction de la
dOformation produite par la compression dans l'dprou-
vette. Une lois que le changement de volume a Ot~
d~termin~, il est possible d'en dOduire le coefficient
de Poisson d l'aide des relations applicables au cas
des fortes dOformations. L'Oprouvette est immergOe
dans du mercure et son changement de volume au
cours de la compression est mersurd en enregistrant
* This paper was presented at the Winter Annual Meeting of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers in November, 1965.
** Present address: Bell Telephone Laboratories, Holmdel,
N. J., U.S.A.
*** Present address : Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, East Hartford,
Conn., U.S.A.
ment de la traverse de la machine d'essai. Des
lectures sont faites dl intervalles de temps suffi-
samment longs pour permettre au systkme d'at-
teindre pratiquement l'Oquilibre pendant le temps
qui sdpare deux lectures. La reproductibilitO et
la prOcision avec lesquelles sont obtenus chacune
des dimensions et des grandeurs qui interviennent
dans le calcul onJ dgalement OtO dOterminOes avec
soins, ce qui permet aux auteurs d'Ovaluer rerreur sur
le coefficient de Poisson calculO. II ressort de ce
calcul d' erreur qu'& l'aide de la technique prOconisOe
le coefficient de Poisson peut facilement ~tre doter-
minO avec une prOcision de 0,005. Les rOsultats
expOrimentaux montrent de plus que dans certains
cas une valeur supOrieure dl 0,500 a OtO obtenue pour
le coefficient de Poisson: on peut donc penser que la
mOthode dOcrite pourrait ~tre utilisOe pour mettre en
Ovidence des transformations de phase dans le
matOriau.

Materials Science and Engineering-Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam-Printed in the Netherlands

240 I. KRAUSE, A. J. SEGRETO, H. PRZIREMBEL, R. L. MACH
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG
Es wurde ein Verfahren entwickelt zur Bestimmung
des Poisson'schen Verhdltnisses far Stoffe unter
starken Dehnungen. Die Volumdnderung einer Probe
wird wdhrend eines Kompressionsversuches gemes-
sen, bei dem man das Probenvolumen als Funktion der
Kompressionsverformung erhdlt. Wenn die Volum-
dnderungen bekannt sind, kann das Poisson'sche
Verhdltnis aus den Volumdnderungen mit Hilfe yon
Beziehungen j~r starke Dehnungen berechnet werden.
Die Volumdnderung wird gemessen durch Kompres-
sion der Probe in Quecksilber und gleichzeitige
Registrierung des Quecksilberspiegels und der Be-
wegung des Querbalkens der Verformungsmaschine.
Die Ablesungen wurden in Zeitintervallen durchge-
INTRODUCTION
Poisson's ratio, one of the fundamental elastic
constants, may be simply defined for a uniaxial
stress state as
8y
v -= (1)
8x
where v is Poisson's ratio, ex is the strain in the
direction of the applied stress, and 8y is the strain in
an orthogonal direction. In general, Poisson's ratio
is a positive number which, from eqn. (1), indicates
that applied negative or compressive strains result
in orthogonal strains which are positive or tensile.
The current interest in the accurate determination
of Poisson's ratio is twofold. First, from a prag-
matic viewpoint, the emergence of plastics and
elastomers as engineering materials requires that
their elastic properties be measured and known.
Whenever these materials find application in multi-
axial load situations, accurate stress analysis and
prediction are strongly contingent upon accurate
knowledge of Poisson's ratio. Also from a more
fundamental aspect, the numerical value of Pois-
son's ratio is a seldom used, but potentially valu-
able, indicator of material phase changes which
may occur because of externally imposed stresses or
strains. Theoretical thermodynamic considerations
demand that, for material stability, numerical
values of Poisson's ratio be limited by ~
0 < v< 0.5 (2)
Values of Poisson's ratio which fall outside the
above limits may signify that phase transformations
have taken place in the material.
f~hrt, die grofl genug waren, um nahezu Gleichge-
wichtsbedingungen sicherzustellen. Reproduzierbar-
keit und Genauigkeit wurden ebenfalls J~r jede der
betreffenden Dimensionen und Messungen sorgfdltig
bestimmt, so daft der Fehler der berechneten Poisson-
Zahl berechnet werden konnte. Eine Fehleranalyse
ergab, daft das P oisson- Verhiiltnis mit dieser M ethode
leicht innerhalb eines Fehlers yon 0.005 bestimmt
werden kann. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse deuten
an, daft Poisson-Zahlen grb'fler als 0.500 gemessen
wurden, was besagen kann, daft dieses Verfahren zum
N achweis yon Phasenumwandlungen in Stoffen dienen
kann.
While the standard techniques for measurement
of Poisson's ratio for the classical engineering
materials are well documented2, the problems
which arise in application to elastomeric materials
are significant. The nature of these materials is such
that large strains are encountered and these must
be measured in lwo directions simultaneously for
the determination of Poisson's ratio by classical
means. When data are desired over large ranges of
strain, employment of the usual strain gage or
extensometer techniques is obviated. Moreover,
when measurements are to be taken for specimens
undergoing large compressive strains, the in-
evitable "barrelshaped" geometry assumed by a
specimen makes it difficult to ensure that both the
axial and the transverse strains are representative
of strains in the specimen or are being measured at
the same point in the specimen.
For the several reasons outlined, it was decided to
determine Poisson's ratio for a specimen by measur-
ing its volume change as it is strained.
The computation of Poisson's ratio for a speci-
men under a particular stress by means of the
volume change technique is equivalent to averaging
the values of Poisson's ratio that would have been
obtained from a measurement of axial and trans-
verse strains at each point on the specimen. The
technique used for measuring the volume change
was simply to use a piston to compress the specimen
which is submerged in mercury. The compression
technique introduces some deviation from uniaxial
conditions at the ends of specimen when the
strains are large. However, it was felt that this
deviation could be ignored in view of the fact that
the specimens remained essentially cylindrical over
Mater. Sci. Eno., 1 (1966) 239-250
 POISSON'S RATIO FOR VISCOELASTICMATERIALS 241

most of their length during compression testing. PISTON (AFFIXED TO

It will be shown that volume changes can be com- CROSS HEAD OF TEs'rrlNG MACHINE)
puted from measurements of the change in mercury
level and the change in piston position.

DEPTH
EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE MICROMETER

A schematic representation of the apparatus which ~ITAIN ER

was used to measure volume changes is shown in MERC~
Fig. 1, and a photograph is shown in Fig. 2. The
apparatus consists of a container which holds the
mercury and the sample to be tested ; a piston which
is affixed to the crosshead of the testing machine ~ IMEN
and used to compress the specimen; a micrometer /

depth gage which measures changes in the liquid

surface level; and a large 5-in.-stroke dial indicator
(not shown in Figs. 1 and 2) which measures changes
in the piston or crosshead position.
il-- I
L
The container was originally a polished plexiglas
cylinder, but because of the lack of dimensional Fig. 1. Schematic representation of compressibility fixture.
stability it was replaced by accurately ground
stainless steel. The container diameter dc was deter- in liquid level is x/2 (0.00013) in. or 0.00018 in.
mined by taking the arithmetic mean value of 50 (ref. 3).
different diameter measurements at various loca- The change in piston or crosshead position
tions on the cylinder. It was found that the mean (Ahp) was detected by a dial indicator the repro-
value was
dc = 3.81931 in. and d(dc) = 0.38 x 10 .3 in. (3)
where d(d~) is the standard deviation from the
mean value of the container diameter.
The piston was also constructed of stainless steel
and its diameter was accurately ground so that the
mean value and standard deviation of the diameter
were respectively
dp = 2.50067 in. and d(dp) = 0.12 x 10 -a in. (4)
The micrometer depth gage, which was per-
manently fastened to the container, was arranged
in a simple electrical circuit with a battery and lamp
so that whenever the depth probe touched the
mercury, the lamp lit. The height of the mercury
surface (hz) could be detected accurately by slowly
lowering the probe until the electrical circuit was
closed. The repeatability with which the liquid
surface could be detected was tested by taking 30
depth measurements of the same liquid level. It was
found that the standard deviation of these surface
depth measurements was 0.00013 in. Because the
change in liquid level (Ahz) is computed from
measurements of two liquid levels, the standard
deviation d (AhL) of the measurements of the change Fig. 2. Compressibility fixture with plexiglas container.

Mater. Sci. Eno., 1 (1966) 239-250

242 I. KRAUSE, A. J. SEGRETO, H. PRZIREMBEL, R. L. MACH
ducibility of which was tested by taking 30 measure-
ments of a stack of gage blocks (accurate to 0.000002
in.). It was found that the standard deviation in
measurement of the gage block height was 0.00013
in. This value is assumed to be d(hp), the standard
deviation of measurements of the piston position.
As before, the error in measuring a change in piston
position is 0.00018 in.
The choice of mercury as a liquid was dictated by
its chemical stability in relation to the materials
being studied and its desirable inability to wet the
container, piston, and samples. Because the experi-
mental technique relies on being able to measure or
account accurately for any portion of the liquid
volume, the latter consideration is of paramount
importance. Of somewhat less importance is the
desirable electrical conductivity of the mercury.
The six materials which were tested were selected
so that a range of behavior would be evident.
Specimens were cut from stocks of Alathon poly-
ethylene, Profax polypropylene, and Zytel nylon,
which were purchased commercially, while the
samples of epoxy elastomers and the polyurethane
were cast in the laboratory. The specimens which
were all cylindrical were nominally 1-in. diameter
and 1½-in. long, and whenever feasible, their ends
were faced before testing to inhibit end-distortion
effects. Cast specimens were transparent and care-
fully inspected to insure the absence of gas bubbles,
inclusions or other flaws.
Once the specimen diameter was recorded
(standard deviation of 0.0006 in.), the initial volume
of the unstressed test specimen was determined by
submersion in the mercury and measurement of the
liquid level change. Subsequently, the testing
machine crosshead and piston were lowered until a
slight change in load was detected on the specimen.
In this manner, piston and liquid-level positions
corresponding to zero strain were established.
Further readings were taken by lowering the piston
in increments of approximately 0.1 in. With each
incremental loading measurements were recorded
only after liquid-level and piston-height readings
equilibrated. In general, these readings did not
change perceptibly (to 0.0001 in.) after approxi-
mately 1 hour. It is worthwhile to note, however,
that load readings rarely equilibrated in the
relatively short time required for the aforemen-
tioned measurements. In some cases, load (and
therefore stress) decay persisted even after several
hours' duration. A test run was usually considered
terminated when sample fracture occurred or
when a specimen flowed uncontrollably so that it
could no longer support load. As a rule, five
separate tests were run on each material.
COMPUTATION OF POISSON'S RATIO AND ESTIMATION
OF ERRORS
Figure 1 shows the conditions of the specimen,
liquid level, and piston position at two stages of
testing. In the container, the volume of the liquid
remains constant throughout the test program. The
volume change A V in the specimen is
Av= [d2 AhL- d2 (AhL + Ahp)] (5)
In order to determine an expression for Poisson's
ratio, consider that as the specimen's axial length is
deformed from hp to (hp-Ahp) the specimen's
diameter is changed from d, to (d, + Ad,). Because
these deformations are large, natural strain ex-
pressions should be used 4 which means that the
axial and transverse strains arc given by
hpe~x = hp-Ahp and dse~ = ds+Ad~ (6)
where e represents the base of natural logarithms.
The change in specimen volume may also be
expressed in terms of its initial height, initial
diameter, and their respective changes as
7Z
A V = ~ [(d~+Ad~)2(h~,-Ahp)-d2hp "] (7)
Substitution of eqns. (6) into eqn. (7) and the use of
the definition of Poisson's ratio as stated in eqn. (1)
permits eqn. (7) to be written as
6v= d2hp{exp.[ex(1-2v)]-l} (8)
Substituting eqn. (8) into eqn. (5) and solving for
Poisson's ratio finally yields
1 In B (9)
v= 2 In ex
where
dc2 Ahr-dp(Ahr+
2
Ahp) (10)
B=I+ 2
d~ hp
and ex is given by eqn. (6). Thus the measurement of
a specimen's initial dimensions and the simultane-
ous recording during testing of the change in liquid
level and the change in piston position permit the
computation of Poisson's ratio. It is worthwhile to
remark, however, that the foregoing expressions for
the computation of Poisson's ratio are based upon
Mater. Sci. Eng., 1 (1966) 239-250
 POISSON'S RATIO FOR VISCOELASTIC MATERIALS
the change in specimen volume from its original
volume. Computed values of Poisson's ratio based
on original volume are tabulated with axial strain
in the first two data columns of Tables 1-6. These
data have also been plotted in the graphs in Figs.
3-8.
With minor modification, eqns. (9) and (10) may
be used to compute Poisson's ratio based upon
incremental changes in specimen volume. The in-
cremental change in volume is the specimen volume
change in transition from one state of strain to the
next strain state. Poisson's ratio can be computed
on this basis if first the incremental axial strain is
used instead of ex in eqn. (9). Further, instantaneous
values of sample diameter and height must be used
and incremental values of liquid-level change and
change in piston position should be incorporated.
Data on values of Poisson's ratio computed on the
basis of incremental volume changes are tabulated
in Tables 1-6.
The errors in the computed values of Poisson's
ratio can be estimated by treating v as a function of
the several variables: do dp, ds, hp, Ahp, AhL. The
variation in v due to independent variations in one
or several of the variables may be determined by
evaluating the total differential5 of Poisson's ratio,
dv, in terms of the partial derivatives of the variables.
Treating each of the calibrated standard deviations
as independent errors of measurement, and evaluat-
ing the six partial derivatives of v, an expression may
be derived for the error in Poisson's ratio due to
errors in measurement of the independent variables.
The error equation for Poisson's ratio calculated
on the basis of change in specimen volume from its
original volume may be shown to be
1 virtually any of the materials tested. Whether these
dv - 2Bd2hpex {L+M+N+P+Q+R} (11)
Ahp d(hp)}
21nB {d(Ahp) - --~p
(hp- Ahp)(2ex)2
where
L = - (2dCAhL)d(d¢)
M= 2dp(ahp + ahL) d (dp)
N= [2d~ahL- 2d~(ah. + AhL)] d (d,)/d~
P=
Q= d(ah.)
R= [a~ AhL - a~ (Ah, + AhL)] d (h,)/h,
and other symbols have the same meanings as
ascribed previously.
243
The estimated error has been computed for each
calculated value of Poisson's ratio and listed in
Tables 1-6. No error has been computed for the
Poisson's ratios calculated on the basis of in-
stantaneous volume measurements but it is reason-
able to expect that these will be of the same order
as for those listed in the tables, that is, 0.005.
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND FUTURE W O R K
Figures 3-8, which depict Poisson's ratio computed
on the basis of original volume measurements,
indicate generally good reproducibility in the
technique used. No attempt has been made to fit
any single curve which would average the results of
various tests but rather a single line has been drawn
connecting successive points of a particular test.
It can easily be seen that particularly for small
strains, Poisson's ratio is a function of strain for
most materials and cannot be considered constant.
The elastomeric materials (epoxy and polyurethane)
are the exceptions in that Poisson's ratio seems to
hover about the 0.500 value for all strains. The
results obtained for the other materials indicate
that some very careful measurements of Poisson's
ratio as a function of small strains, i.e. ex<0.1,
may be in order.
The effect of computing Poisson's ratio from
instantaneous volume measurements is that sudden
changes in volume will be made more apparent and
any one value of Poisson's ratio will be independent
of previously obtained values. Therefore, changes
in Poisson's ratio with strain will be more apparent.
Examination of Tables 1-6 shows clearly that
Poisson's ratio may at some time exceed 0.5 for
measured values truly represent changes in phase
of the materials cannot now be determined but
must wait upon future study.
Of some significance, perhaps, are the two
measured values of Poisson's ratio for polyethylene
which were negative at about the same strain (see
Table 4). A negative value of Poisson's ratio
means that the cross-section area of a compression
specimen decreases as the specimen is compressed.
Because of the possibility of voids in the opaque
material for which they were measured, it may be
that these values are specious. However, the neg-
ative values may also represent phase changes in
the material.
The future efforts in this study will concentrate
Mater. Sci. Eng., 1 (1966)239-250
 TABLE I: PROFAXPOLYPROPYLENE TABLE 2: EPOXYELASTOMER.420962
tO
Test Axial Poisson' s ratio Estimated Poisson' s ratio Test Axial Poisson' s ratio Estimated Poisson' s ratio
no. strain (based on orig. vol.) error (based on inst. vol.) no. strain ( b a s e d on orig. vol.) error (based on inst. vol.)

1 - 0.0704 0.035 0.0075 0.035 1 -0.0718 0.480 0.0062 0.480

-0.1475 0.248 0.0066 0.443 -0.1437 0.507 0.0060 0.535
-0.2240 0.340 0.0064 0.516 -0.2242 0.513 0.0058 0.527
-0.3120 0.388 0.0062 0.512 -0.3104 0.272 0.0065 0.430
- 0.4051 0.415 0.0059 0.506 -0.4056 0.503 0.0054 1.196
-0.5088 0.435 0.0056 0.515 - 0.5094 0.494 0.0052 0.448
- 0.6268 0.493 0.0050 0.760 - 0.6296 0.475 0.0050 0.388
-0.7575 0.456 0.0050 0.245 - 0.7643 0.465 0.0048 0.411
- 0.9068 0.462 0.0047 0.491
-0.0702 0.552 0.0060 0.552
- 0.0741 0.232 0.0070 0.232 -0.1442 0.715 0.0055 0.895
-0.1494 0.337 0.0065 0.437 -0.2237 0.529 0.0058 0.151
-0.2326 0.401 0.0062 0.518 -0.3121 0.521 0.0056 0.499
-0.3215 0.426 0.0060 0.493 -0.4049 0.515 0.0053 0.496
-0.4202 0.446 0.0057 0.508 -0.5110 0.502 0.0051 0.451
.>
-0.5298 0.460 0.0054 0.514 - 0.6279 0.480 0.0050 0.376
-0.6535 0.468 0.0051 0.507 -0.7614 0.473 0.0048
- 0.7976 0.473 0.0048 0.495
- 0.9589 0.478 0.0044 0.504 -0.0713 0.594 0.0059 0.594
- 1.1522 0.480 0.0041 0.490 -0.1466 0.512 0.0060 0.428
-0.2269 0.512 0.0058 0.512
--0.0734 0.025 0.0075 0.025 -0.3147 0.511 0.0056 0.510 I m

- 0.1502 0.254 0.0067 0.472 - -

0.4097 0.508 0.0054 0.499 N
-0.2313 0.347 0.0064 0.522 - 0.5181 0.497 0.0051 0.451
-0.3223 0.391 0.0061 0.501 -0.6337 0.481 0.0050 0.404
-0.4227 0.418 0.0058 0.508 - 0.7693 0.473 0.0047 0.430
-0.5266 0.438 0.0055 0.519
- 0.6509 0.447 0.0052 0.486 -0.0713 0.501 0.0061 0.501
-0.7917 0.455 0.0049 0.490 -0.1455 0.507 0.0060 0.513
-0.2252 0.505 0.0058 0.502
>.
-0.1020 0.192 0.0071 0.192 - 0.3099 0.505 0.0056 0.506 ¢3
-0.1386 0.318 0.0066 0.433 - 0.4066 0.503 0.0054 0.494
-0.2137 0.387 0.0063 0.516 --0.5108 0.492 0.0052 0.444
-0.2956 0.425 0.0060 0.524 - -
0.6297 0.482 0.0050 0.434
-0.3855 0.443 0.0058 0.501 --0.7607 0.471 0.0047 0.414
e~
-0.4836 0.453 0.0055 0.494
-0.6015 0.464 0.0052 0.511 -0.0708 0.513 0.0061 0.513
-0.7147 0.469 0.0050 0.491 -0.1464 0.499 0.0060 0.486
-0.2264 0.506 0.0058 0.519
~o -0.1022 0.120 0.0073 0.120 -0.3111 0.510 0.0056 0.520
o~ -0.1524 0.273 0.0067 0.411 - 0.4050 0.504 0.0054 0.485
b.J -0.2333 0.354 0.0064 0.507 -0.5118 0.440 0.0054 0.173
- 0.3249 0.404 0.0061 0.533 - -
0.6289 0.475 0.0050 0.628
t'J
- 0.4243 0.428 0.0058 0.510 - 0.7611 0.466 0.0048 0.416
- 0.5349 0.441 0.0055 0.490
- 0.6596 0.452 0.0052 0.497
- 0.8022 0.459 0.0049 0.491
 T A B L E 3: POLYURETHANEL D 167/20 T A B L E 4: ALATHONPOLYETHYLENE

Test Axial Poisson' s ratio Estimated Poisson' s ratio Test Axial Poisson's ratio Estimated Poisson's ratio
no. strain (based on orig. vol.) error (based on inst. vol.) no. strain (based on ori#. vol.) error (based on inst. vol.)

1 -0.1597 0.511 0.0056 0.511 1 -0.0761 0.331 0.0067 0.331

-0.2507 0.610 0.0051 0.831 -0.1525 0.324 0.0066 0.309
- 0.3479 0.472 0.0053 0.705 -0.2351 0.376 0.0063 0.470
- 0.3226 0.407 0.0061 0.489
- 0.4595 0.460 0.0051 0.424
-0.5808 0.463 0.0048 0.471
-0.7217 0.472 0.0045 0.511 -0.0750 0.324 0.0067 0.324
- 0.8872 0.470 0.0042 0.458 -0.1564 0.370 0.0065 0.414
- 1.0899 0.474 0.0039 0.490 - 0.2472 0.411 0.0062 0.479
-0.3426 0.435 0.0059 0.497
-0.0710 0.548 0.0056 0.548 -0.4511 0.451 0.0056 0.500
- 0 . 1 491 0.485 0.0057 0.421 -0.5721 0.460 0.0053 0.496
-
-0.2303 0.493 0.0055 0.510 0.7039 0.468 0.0050 0.504 o
- 0.8648 0.474 0.0047 0.501
- 0.3208 0.455 0.0054 0.347
-0.4211 0.479 0.0051 0.558 z
-0.5319 0.474 0.0049 0.448 - 0.0774 0.298 0.0068 - 0.737
- 0 . 6 551 0.383 0.0052 -0.050 -0.1600 0.336 0.0065 0.471
- 0.2482 0.388 0.0063 0.498 ,-4
- 0. 07 51 0.531 0.0056 0.531 -0.3459 0.421 0.0060 0.500
"rl
-0.1594 0.510 0.0056 0.490 - 0.4555 0.439 0.0057 0.500
-
0.2484 0.500 0.0054 0.480 - 0.5772 0.454 0.0055 0.509 <
- 0.3437 0.482 0.0052 0.429 -0.7103 0.463 0.0050 0.500
-
0.4513 0.474 0.0050 0.449
-0.5720 0.468 0.0048 0.441 - 0.0760 0.336 0.0067 - 0.758
-0.1522 0.358 0.0065 0.472 >
- 0.7105 0.467 0.0046 0.462
,.-]
- 0.8671 0.469 0.0043 0.472 - 0.2377 0.395 0.0063 0.495
- 1.0564 0.473 0.0039 0.494 - 0.3299 0.424 0.0060 0.500
-0.4284 0.445 0.0057 0.501 >
-0.0715 0.585 0.0055 0.585 - 0.5411 0.454 0.0054 0.500
- 0.6659 0.459 0.0052 0.489
-0.1480 0.529 0.0056 0.474
7-
- 0.2316 0.505 0.0054 0.459 t -

- 0.3208 0.466 0.0053 0.356

-
0.4202 0.464 0.0051 0.457
- 0.5297 0.468 0.0049 0.480
-0.6517 0.469 0.0047 0.474
-
0.7910 0.474 0.0044 0.496
t~ - 0.9570 0.474 0.0041 0.471

-0.0714 0.521 0.0057 0.521

-0.1474 0.487 0.0057 0.451
-0.2343 0.474 0.0055 0.451
o~ - 0.3220 0.453 0.0054 0.390
to
ta~ -0.4210 0.455 0.0052 0.459
- 0.5326 0.461 0.0049 0.484 I"0
to - 0.6533 0.466 0.0047 0.488
 T A B L E 5: EPOXY ELASTOMER A 021562 T A B L E 6: ZYa~L NYLON
t'~
Test Axial Poisson's ratio Estimated Poisson's ratio Test Axial Poisson" s ratio Estimated Poisson' s ratio
no. strain (based on orig. uol.) error (based on inst. vol.) O~
no. strain (based on orig. vol.) error (based on inst. vol.)

1 -0.0700 0.583 0.0048 0.583 1 - 0.0746 0.190 0.0069 0.190

- 0.1439 0.536 0.0049 0.489 -0.1545 0.319 0.0064 0.438
-0.2234 0.537 0.0048 0.542 -0.2407 0.390 0.0061 0.519
- 0.3094 0.524 0.0046 0.491 - 0.3343 0.423 0.0058 0.508
-0.4038 0.525 0.0044 0.530 - 0.4382 0.441 0.0055 0.499
-0.5199 0.465 0.0044 0.425 - 0.5540 0.454 0.0052 0.503
-0.6242 0.490 0.0041 0.419 - 0.6877 0.464 0.0049 0.505
-0.7543 0.481 0.0039 0.430 - 0.8394 0.469 0.0046 0.492

--0.0693 0.515 0.0050 0.515 -0.0768 0.107 0.0071 0.107

-0.1417 0.530 0.0050 0.548 --0.1573 0.260 0.0066 0.405
--0.2193 0.528 0.0048 0.524 --0.2441 0.338 0.0062 0.478
- 0.3027 0.524 0.0046 0.515 --0.3399 0.381 0.0060 0.488
-0.3949 0.513 0.0048 0.475 --0.4458 0.414 0.0067 0.524
- 0.4949 0.503 0.0043 0.463 --0.5631 0.425 0.0054 0.461
.>
.,:-,
-0.6108 0.485 0.0042 0.401 - -0.6986 0.444 0.0050 0.523
-0.7374 0.471 0.0040 0.402 -- 0.8538 0.453 0.0047 0.497
-- 1.0390 0.462 0.0043 0.500
-- 0.0722 0.482 0.0051 0.482
--0.1480 0.503 0.0050 0.524 -0.0732 0.114 0.0071 0.114
-- 0.2304 0.500 0.0049 0.494 --0.1504 0.274 0.0065 0.425
- -
--0.3197 0.498 0.0047 0.493 0.2348 0.343 0.0062 0.464
--0.4160 0.498 0.0045 0.498 -- 0.3266 0.396 0.0059 0.533 N
-
- -
0.5269 0.488 0.0043 0.445 0.4273 0.424 0.0056 0.516
--0.6481 0.467 0.0042 0.366 --0.5399 0.438 0.0054 0.492
--0.6675 0.447 0.0051 0.482
-- 0.0677 0.479 0.0051 0.479 --0.8134 0.458 0.0047 0.508
--0.1423 0.486 0.0051 0.491
--0.2176 0.504 0.0049 0.542 -0.0789 0.191 0.0069 0.191
- 0.3045 0.500 0.0047 0.487 -0.1525 0.316 0.0064 0.450
- 0.3955 0.499 0.0045 0.495 - 0.2379 0.385 0.0061 0.508
t"3
- 0.4973 0.480 0.0044 0.401 a:
-0.3310 0.407 0.0059 0.458
--0.6119 0.469 0.0042 0.419 -0.4339 0.431 0.0056 0.510
- 0.5490 0.444 0.0053 0.491
-- 0.0695 0.479 0.0051 0.479
,-..
-0.1400 0.488 0.0051 0.496 - 0.0746 0.063 0.0072 0.063
-0.2185 0.506 0.0049 0.540 -0.1506 0.258 0.0066 0.449
--0.3031 0.510 0.0047 0.522 - 0.2336 0.333 0.0063 0.467
--0.3955 0.502 0.0045 0.475 - 0.3261 0.372 0.0060 0.468
- -0.4971 0.488 0.0044 0.431 - 0.4263 0.408 0.0057 0.529
O~
-0.6114 0.473 0.0042 0.404 -0.5392 0.424 0.0054 0.483
- 0.6628 0.438 0.0051 0.497
-0.8075 0.449 0.0048 0.503
- 0.9777 0.458 0.0045 0.501
 POISSON'S RATIO FOR VISCOELASTIC MATERIALS 247
O,S

A O.E

2
I-
<
K
to ..--'-:?Z."
"z 0.4
o
w
w z l f "" .

////
0.2

0
,/ ii"

I i i i
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 I.O
COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (E~)

Fig. 3. Poisson's ratio versus axial strain for Profax polypropylene.

0.8

A
I X
/ '
0.6 / ~
"N!
\
sn'\.\ N
o ,~-.-'~ Z . . . . .-.
_~:~... ".. . . .
I-
< "",...

-z~0.4 :: .2
o .. _
_w •,, .:
oa.
• f
V

0.2

I i i
0
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (•w)

Fig. 4. Poisson's ratio versus axial strain for epoxy elastomer A 20962.

Mater• Sci. Eno., 1 (1966) 239-250

248 I. KRAUSE, A. J. SEGRETO, H. PRZIREMBEL, R. L. MACH
0.8

~Q6
o

E
W
~0.4
W
W
0
IL

0.2

i i i i
0 0.2 0.4- 0.6 0.8 1.0
COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (E,)

Fig. 5. Poisson's ratio versus strain for polyurethane LD 167/20.

0.8

0.6
v

o_
a..
_,.. - "77--.'7-£

"= o4
o
(n

L /

0.2

I I I

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 I.O

COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (~,,)

Fig. 6. Poisson's ratio versus strain for Alathon polyethylene.

Mater. Sci. Eng., 1 (1966) 239-250

 POISSON'S RATIO FOR VISCOELASTIC MATERIALS 249
0.8

~O.S
v

w
~0.4
O7
o
L

0.2

i i I
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (£~)

Fig. 7. Poisson's ratio versus strain for epoxy elastomer A 021562.

O.8

0.6

o
I--

ee

¢)
0.4

O
Cl.

0.2 7/;~
/ ./C

./f
/S'
"t
/

I I I

0.2 0.4. 0.6 0.8 I.O

COMPRESSIVE AXIAL STRAIN (E,,)

Fig. 8. Poisson's ratio versus strain for Zytel nylon.

Mater. Sci. En#., 1 (1966) 239-250

250 I. KRAUSE, A. J. SEGRETO, H. PRZIREMBEL, R. L. MACH
on the performance of Poisson's ratio measure-
ments by this technique for materials under tensile
stress. The purpose of tensile tests is first to dis-
cern whether or not Poisson's ratio data for the
tensile test agree with compression test data.
Second and perhaps more important is that the
tensile testing can be done in conjunction with
X-ray diffraction measurements in order to deter-
mine whether Poisson's ratio measurements can
truly be used as an indicator for phase changes with-
in a material.
REFERENCES
1 H. CALLEN, Thermodynamics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
N.Y., 1960, pp. 226-231.
2 ASTM Standard E 132, American Society of Testing and
Materials Standards, Philadelphia, Pa.
3 0 . L. Davies, Statistical Methods in Research and Production,
Hafner Publishing Co., N.Y., 1961, p. 49.
4 A. NADAI, Theory of Flow and Fracture of Solids, Vol. I,
McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1950, p. 73 ft.
5 G. A. KORN AND T. M. KORN, Mathematical Handbook for
Scientists and Enoineers, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y.,
1961, p. 95.
Mater. Sci. Eno., 1 (1966) 239-250