The tensile testing machine pulls the sample from both ends and
measures the force required to pull the specimen apart and how much the
sample stretches before breaking. This data can be used to construct a stressstrain
curve and to calculate several mechanical properties of the polymer.
Stress-Strain Curve
A tensile stress-strain curve is a plot of stress on the y-axis vs. strain on
the x-axis as can be seen in Figure 2. Stress-strain curves are measured with
an instrument designed for tensile testing.