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Test configurations

Tension

The tension test is a fundamental test configuration in the field of material characterization. By pulling on both ends, the goal here is to evaluate how a sample will react to applied loading or displacement and to quantify its resistance to elongation. Tensile tests are used to determine several of mechanical properties of a material, such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, max load and elongation at rupture. Through Hooke's law, elastic material will react linearly to axial deformation. Taking into account the geometry of the sample, the Young's modulus can easily be calculated using the slope of the stress vs deformation curve. For material showing more complex mechanical behavior (e.g. viscoelastic or poroelastic material), advanced theoretical models can be used to assess specific mechanical parameters.

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2023 · Journal Articles

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2022 · Journal Articles

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2022 · Journal Articles

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2021 · Thesis

Fabrication of Curli-PEDOT:PSS Composites for Bioelectronics

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2020 · Journal Articles

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2019 · Journal Articles

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70 citations · 25 in 2025–2026

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July 29, 2018 · Journal Articles

Biomechanical properties and microstructure of neonatal porcine ventricles

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Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 88 (2018), 18–28. Accepted manuscript deposited in Swansea University Cronfa; original English abstract copied from manuscript PDF page 4. Specimen: native neonatal porcine ventricular myocardium, represented by Custom Material because the current Heart (Tissue Engineering) category would be misleading. Biaxial extension used a separate system.

27 citations · 7 in 2025–2026

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July 10, 2013 · Journal Articles

Extracellular matrix structure and tissue stiffness control postnatal lung development through the lipoprotein receptor–related protein 5/Tie2 signaling system

Tadanori Mammoto; Elisabeth Jiang; Amanda Jiang; Akiko Mammoto

American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology 49(6) (2013), 1009–1018. Originally published in press 10 July 2013. Original abstract from PubMed/Europe PMC, PMID 23841513. Methods: publisher PDF indexed text, printed page 1010, Mechanical Measurement of Lungs. Live PDF download unavailable after publisher migration; no PDF claimed as archived.

71 citations · 6 in 2025–2026

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January 2010 · Journal Articles

Vasoactive agents alter the biomechanical properties of aortic heart valve leaflets in a time-dependent manner

James N. Warnock; Carol A. Pregonero Gamez; Scott A. Metzler; Joseph Chen; Steven H. Elder; Jun Liao

Journal of Heart Valve Disease 19(1), 86–95; discussion 96 (January 2010). Original complete structured abstract retrieved from PubMed PMID 20329494 through Europe PMC. Original author-deposited article text (James N. Warnock), printed pp.87–88, explicitly identifies Mach-1 V500cs and the following uniaxial tensile protocol. A distinct biaxial device is described under concentration-dependent effects; no Mach-1 biaxial tag assigned. Custom Material denotes native aortic valve tissue, not tissue-engineered heart or a blood vessel. No local PDF obtained; PDF is optional.

9 citations · 0 in 2025–2026

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September 2002 · Thesis

Effect of age and distance from the articular surface on the tensile mechanical properties of articular cartilage [English translation]

Mathieu Charlebois

Master's thesis, École Polytechnique de Montréal. Title page: September 2002; repository catalogue: 2003. English translation of original French title: Effet de l'âge et de la distance de la surface articulaire sur les propriétés mécaniques du cartilage articulaire en tension.

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FAQ

What is Young's modulus E?
Intrinsic mechanical property of a material independent of its geometry. From the slope of the stress vs. strain graph during an unconfined compression and considering the geometry of the sample, we can calculate the Young's modulus.

Lab Module — Unconfined compression of hydrogel disks

Lab Module — Tension and rupture of skin

What is the elongation at rupture?
The amount of uniaxial strain at fracture including both elastic and plastic deformation.

Lab Module — Tension and rupture of skin

LAB MODULE – Tension and Rupture of Skin – Student Version

How does the "Sinusoid" model works?

This feature is used to obtain the Frequency, Amplitude and Offset of a sinusoidal signal. A blue line displays the theoretical sinusoid with the Frequency, Amplitude and Offset obtained (Figure 1). The values of the Frequency, Amplitude and Offset are indicated in the "Results" field. The units vary according to the graph’s axes.

This feature can also be used for sinusoidal stimulus-response analysis. Sinusoidal stimulus shall be selected on the x-axis and the sinusoidal response on the y-axis. The Modulus is the ratio of the response Amplitude over the stimulus Amplitude. The Phase is the phase difference between the response and the stimulus. The Modulus’ is computed as the Modulus*Cos(Phase) and the Modulus” is computed as the Modulus*Sin(Phase). A blue line displays the theoretical sinusoidal stimulus-response with the Frequency, Modulus and Phase obtained (Figure 2). The values of the Modulus and Phase are indicated in the “Results” field. The units vary according to the graph’s axes.

One use for this feature would be to compute material properties by multiplying the Modulus obtained by the appropriate geometric factors. For example, the Young’s Modulus can be obtained during uniaxial compression or tension on cylindrical sample with t/pi*r2 as the geometric factor, t is the thickness and r is the radius of the sample.

Mach-1 Analysis – Sinusoid – Example for stimulus-response analysis

Mach-1 Analysis – Sinusoid – Example for signals analysis

What is viscoelasticity?
Property of a material to exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Such material will show time-dependent mechanical behavior.

LAB MODULE – Torsion of Disk-Shaped Samples – Student Version

What is the ultimate tensile strength (tensile strength)?
Ultimate tensile strength is the maximum stress developed in a material before rupture in a tension test.

Lab Module — Tension and rupture of skin

LAB MODULE – Tension and Rupture of Skin – Student Version

What is the yield strength?
What is the plastic region?
Region of a stress-strain curve where the deformation undergone by a material remains after the load is removed. The plastic deformation is the permanent part of the deformation beyond the elastic limit of a material.

Lab Module — Tension and rupture of skin

LAB MODULE – Tension and Rupture of Skin – Student Version

What is the elastic region?
Linear region of a stress-strain curve where a material deformed under load or strain will return to its original shape when the stress is released. The slope of the elastic region is used in the calculation of the Young's modulus.

Lab Module — Tension and rupture of skin

LAB MODULE – Tension and Rupture of Skin – Student Version

What is the toe region?
Region of a stress-strain curve prior to the elastic region. The shape of the toe region is different from that of the elastic region due to the primary realignment of the sample in the grip, the straightening of slack fibers and the rotation of collagen fibers to align with the direction of elongation.

LAB MODULE – Tension and Rupture of Skin – Student Version

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