Biopolymer Degradation Analysis: Accelerated Life Testing Study to Characterize Polylactic Acid Durability

While the degradation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) has been studied for several years, results regarding the mechanism for determining degradation are not completely understood. Through accelerated degradation testing, data can be extrapolated and modeled to test parameters such as temperature, voltage, time, and humidity. Accelerated lifetime testing is used as an alternative to experimentation under normal conditions. The methodology to create this model consisted of fabricating series of ASTM specimens using extrusion and injection molding. These specimens were tested through accelerated degradation; tensile and flexural testing were conducted at different points of time. Nonparametric inference tests for multivariate data are presented. The results indicate that the effect of the independent variable or treatment effect (time) is highly significant. This research intends to provide a better understanding of biopolymer degradation. The findings indicated that the proposed statistical models can be used as a tool for characterization of the material regarding the durability of the biopolymer as an engineering material. Having multiple models, one for each individual accelerating variable, allow deciding which parameter is critical in the characterization of the material.

Study of the Lifetime Testing of Spherical Rubber Isolators

This study aims to identify the fatigue lifetime of a thin-walled hollow spherical rubber isolator subjected to harmonic and random vibrations. Firstly, the nonlinear characteristics of the rubber materials are tested and analyzed through vibration experiments. The relationship among the nonlinear stiffness, nonlinear damping, and relative displacement amplitude is established. Secondly, an accelerated lifetime experiment under random excitation is carried out. The correlation between the root-mean-squared acceleration response of the random vibration system and the stiffness attenuation of the rubber isolator is established and modeled. A lifetime prediction method for rubber isolators is proposed based on the model. Finally, the influence of different loads on the lifetime of the rubber isolator is investigated. These methods provide an additional rationale for the further theoretical research and practical engineering application of rubber damping systems.