Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.

2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

Athlone Institute of Technology

Inustitiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Luain

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Engineering in Polymer & Mechanical Engineering

Year 1 Group 2 2018/2019
Mechanics
Continuous Assessment

Student Name Ciara Stynes

Student Number A00261787

Date Title
4/3/19 Shear Modulus of Rubber
Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

Contents
Title........................................................................................................................................................1
Objectives..............................................................................................................................................1
Apparatus..............................................................................................................................................1
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................1
Experimental Procedure........................................................................................................................1
Results...................................................................................................................................................1
Conclusions............................................................................................................................................1
Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

Shear Modulus of Rubber

Objectives
To measure the shear deformation of a rubber block and then determine the modulus of rigidity

References
Mechanical Practical’s Semester 2

Apparatus
 Shear apparatus
 Load hanger
 10N weights
 Ruler
 Deflection gauge

Introduction
Strain the response of a material to an applied stress.

Stress is the amount of force a material experiences per m 2

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

During this experiment the shear stress are used. Shear force is a force that tends to slide one face
of the material over the other. The forces act parallel but in opposite directions to one another.

The calculate the Shear modulus of a material the shear stress and Strain must first be calculated.

The deflection (Δl) / the original length (L) is used to calculate shear strain.

Shear Stress is the force experience per m 2 of the shear area.

Shear Stress
Shear modulus of Rigidity =
Shear Strain

Experimental Procedure
 The apparatus was set up
 10 N weights were added to the hanger in increments.
o Between each increment, the masses were support to reduce the effects of the
viscoelastic properties of the rubber.
 The deflection at each force was noted.
 The shear stress and strain for each increment were calculated.
 The values for the shear stress and strain were plotted against one another.
 A line of best fit (through the origin) was drawn.
 The slope of the line was then calculated.
 The value of the slope is the calculated modulus of rigidity.

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

Results
Area (A) 3.672 x10-3 m2

Original Length (L) 0.074 m

Force (N) Deflection (mm) Shear Stress Shear Strain

10 0.06 Shear stress 2723.31 0.00081
20 0.15 = 5446.62 0.002027
30 0.25 Force / Area (A) 8169.93 0.00338
40 0.35 10893.25 0.00473
50 0.46 Shear Strain 13616.56 0.00622
60 0.57 = 16339.87 0.0077
70 0.70 Deflection / L 19063.18 0.00946

Load Extension Graph

80

70

60

50
Force (N)

40

30

20

10

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Deflection (mm)

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Shear Modulus of Rubber

Moduluds of Rigidity
25000

20000
f(x) = 2137905.36273717 x
Shear Stress

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005 0.006 0.007 0.008 0.009 0.01

Shear Strain

The calculated modulus of rigidity is 2 MPa

Conclusions
The results found show that rubber experience 2M Newton’s of shear force for every Meter 2. This
value can be used to estimate how much a material will deflect under a certain load. This is very
important information when choosing a material for a certain application. This result show the
properties of the material rather than the geometry on the specimen.

Errors in the results may be due to:

 The viscoelastic properties of the rubber Creep).

 A parallax when reading off the measurements.
 The gauge not being properly calibrated at the beginning.
 The position of the rubber specimen (over a radiator).

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