Uniaxial and biaxial testing of 3D printed hyperelastic photopolymers

Uniaxial and biaxial testing of a three-dimensional (3D) printed photopolymer (TangoBlackPlus) is performed. The nonlinear material response is studied using specially designed uniaxial and biaxial coupons. Experimental results show a quasi-isotropic and hyperelastic behavior for longitudinal and transverse directions parallel to the 3D printer build plate. Uniaxial and biaxial testing data are fitted with commonly used hyperelastic material models. The material parameters derived for different material models are implemented into a finite element simulation to illustrate the effect of material models and testing conditions on the deflection of a curved hollow tube undergoing large deformation. HIGHLIGHTS Advanced three-dimensional (3D) printing enabled a new sample design for uniaxial and biaxial test coupons. Uniaxial and biaxial tests were performed for TangoBlackPlus, a new photopolymer commonly used in 3D printing. Uniaxial and biaxial testing demonstrated an isotropic and hyperelastic material behavior for the different coupons' orientations studied. Biaxial testing enables a unique identification of the Mooney-Rivlin coefficients due to a large number of deformation states. Material coefficients were derived for different models and used as input parameters for finite element modeling. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48400.