Experimental investigation and mathematical modeling of the mechanical response of hydrogels
Translated title
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-31
Pages
28
Abstract
Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels were manufactured via photo-initiated polymerization at various water to monomer concentrations for investigation upon swelling in de-ionized water and salt solution (NaCl). To analyze characteristic features of their behavior, both as-prepared and fully swollen hydrogels were subjected to uniaxial tensile and relaxation tests. Cyclic test with a strain-controlled program is also performed where cyclic loading is interrupted by swelling for analysis of the self-recovery phenomenon of hydrogels. Experimental data are treated as means of appropriate constitutive models to ascertain the effects of composition and degree of swelling (Q) on the visco-elastic response. The constitutive model treats a hydrogel as a two-phase continuum composed of a solid and fluid constituent subjected to swelling under arbitrary deformation with finite strains. Structure-property relations were investigated which allow mechanical properties of the gel to be predicted as function of its composition.
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