A materials revolution engulfs the engineering industry today. The amazing new materials being discovered do not obey traditional linear elastic material models. To explain the mechanical behaviours of these new materials, a plethora of non-linear models have evolved. Likewise, simulation techniques are evolving, and are being made available in modern structural simulation platforms.
However, the industry still lacks evolved material parameter measurement methods for these new models. It is already known empirically, that uniaxial tests cannot accurately characterize elastomeric materials like rubbers. But a paucity of sound mathematical models prevents the development of newer measurement techniques.
We developed new mathematics that not only justifies this empirical truth, but also lays a sound theoretical foundation for creating tests that accurately measure nonlinear material parameters. Based on this theory, we designed a machine that can perform these tests. And then we built this big, beautiful machine; a whole new way to actually do these tests.
