Force-Displacement Evaluation of Macromolecular Materials in Flexural Impact Tests. I- Apparatus and Data Handling

The determination of the force-displacement curve during an impact experiment can provide more qualitative and quantitative information on the impact behavior of a material than conventional single-value characterization. To this end, an Izod-type pendulum was instrumented, so that both the impact force and the displacement of the free end of the specimen can be accurately monitored and recorded. The force-displacement curves produced are analyzed by means of a suitable computer program to obtain different significant characteristics