EMA 630 Viscoelastic Solids
University of Wisconsin
Rod Lakes
Project ideas.


Measure the creep response of polymer foam earplugs. Make an experimental device to do this. It is not difficult.

Calculate the rolling resistance due to the viscoelasticity of the rubber in a tire.

Use resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to determine viscoelastic properties of a material of your choice. Specimen shape is typically a cube, sphere, or short cylinder.

Calculate from an extrapolation of published data how much height an astronaut will gain during a one month stay on a space station, from viscoelastic recovery of the spinal disks.

Measure the viscoelastic properties of a squash ball, a baseball, a hockey puck, or of a ball used in another sport. How does the actual rebound behavior compare with the rebound predicted based on the measured viscoelastic behavior? How does rebound depend on temperature? Survey the literature on this sport; relate the ball viscoelasticity to the nature and strategy of the sport.

Determine whether polymer foam earplugs are thermorheologically simple by conducting creep tests at several temperatures.

Design a viscoelastic system for reducing noise and vibration from a lawn mower or other small engine.

Consider equation 3.5.17. (i) Develop a higher order series expansion to obtain an analytical solution which accounts for the asymmetric resonance peak shapes observed when damping is not sufficiently small that equation 3.5.23 applies. Does one additional term suffice? Draw plots to compare resonances via equation 3.5.17 with resonances via its series approximation. (ii) Does your analysis apply for large damping, e. g. tan d = 0.5? If not, can you extend the analysis to equation 3.5.17 so that G* is extracted from the complex rigidity?

Referring to example 6.1, (i) develop an explicit series expansion for creep J(t) = A tⁿ, (ii) derive a corresponding form for nonlinear viscoelasticity following equation 2.12.4, (iii) consider what other physical systems to which the analysis applies.

Determine whether viscoelastic shoe insoles offer benefit in reducing impacts during running.

Are viscoelastic mattresses comfortable in relation to their viscoelasticity?