Comparative Study on Viscoelastic Evaluation Methods of Polymer Materials Based on Ultrasonic Method.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Acoustics
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Rubber's viscoelasticity is crucial for applications in ships, aviation, and aerospace.
• Evaluating polymer composite viscoelastic properties is significant for material performance.
• Ultrasonic detection offers a non-destructive method for material characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the viscoelastic properties of four rubber materials using ultrasonic detection.
• To compare the effectiveness of the surface reflection method (SRM) and the bottom reflection method (BRM).
• To optimize the surface reflection method (SRM) for practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Experimental and simulation-based ultrasonic detection.
• Analysis of received signal spectrum to obtain viscoelastic parameters.
• Comparison of SRM and BRM in the frequency domain.

Main Results:

• Both SRM and BRM are feasible for evaluating rubber viscoelasticity.
• Consistent trends in storage elastic modulus, loss elastic modulus, attenuation coefficient, and loss tangent were observed for both methods.
• Optimization of SRM by increasing ultrasonic sensor diameter improved practical performance.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasonic detection, specifically SRM and BRM, provides a reliable method for assessing rubber viscoelasticity.
• The choice between SRM and BRM can be guided by specific application requirements and frequency domain analysis.
• Enhancements to the SRM, such as increasing sensor diameter, can improve its applicability in real-world scenarios.