Probably the main physical analysis of composite materials is the stress vs. strain curve generated by observing a sample under tension. The stress/strain terminology is defined at Mechanical properties of polymers. The stress/strain curves provide information about the material such as toughness (area under the curve), strength (distance on the y axis of the curve), and tensile modulus (slope of curve). The curve is taken by strapping a sample with known dimensions between to load cells. As tension is placed on the sample, a computer generates the curve by taking into account the known measurements and sample deformation.
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