In-Situ Tension Test in Polymers with Scanco’s µCT Systems
Scanco’s µCT scanners excel in high resolution and are used all over the world for studying materials with different properties, such as bone and scaffolds, cement and fibers or even (with appropriate additional cooling system) snow and ice crystals. The choice of the most suitable scanner basically depends on the maximum size of the samples to be scanned and the desired resolution.
Scanco’s µCT scanners allow the realization of in-situ stress tests of polymers and solid samples, widely diffused in materials science studies. A specific support stage for the samples to be subjected to mechanical tests is in fact available as an add-on for all versions of Scanco’s µCTs. This stage allows the compression and stretch of samples up to forces of 500 N. This type of application is of importance for the study of elastic and breaking properties of materials, including the analysis of polymers and fibers and, in general, of solid samples.
Compressions or expansions caused by the applied force can be scanned for each fixed force. For example, the cracks (in yellow) inside a polymer sample subjected to an expansion can be visualized:
The mechanical perturbation is reflected in a change in the density properties of the sample, leading to the breaking of the fibers (at a certain breaking point corresponding to a certain applied force).
The Scanco’s reconstruction software is therefore capable of interpolating between the fractures created inside the sample, displaying them and estimating the distance between each other. From this estimation it is possible to trend the data in a graphical way for a further analysis of the sample subjected to the scanning.
