Tensile Properties of Uhmwpe Single Yarn at Different Strain Rates

In this paper, details of the experimental work to characterise the tensile properties of a UHMWPE single yarn are presented. The yarn specimens were extracted from a plain woven fabric made of Spectra 1000 fibres, and a gripping method which could prevent yarn slippage and ensure the failure occurs in the gauge section was employed. Tensile tests were conducted at three strain rates of 3.3×10, 3.3×10, and 0.33 s with the purpose of investigating the strain-rate effect on the tensile properties. It was found that the stress-strain behaviour of a single yarn had a decrimping region, a linear elastic region, a non-linear failure region, and a post-peak region at very low strain rates. As the strain rate increased, the yarn failed in a more brittle manner by exhibiting a sharp drop in stress after the peak. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased with strain rate while the maximum strain and toughness decreased.