• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.973-986
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• 2015

Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) foil is a novel structural material which has being used in shell and spatial structures. This paper studies biaxial creep property of ETFE foil by creep tests and numerical simulation. Biaxial creep tests of cruciform specimens were performed using three stress ratios, 1:1, 2:1 and 1:2, which showed that creep coefficients in biaxial tension were much smaller than those in uniaxial one. Then, a reduction factor was introduced to take account of this biaxial effect, and relation between the reduction factor and stress ratio was established. Circular bubble creep test and triangle cushion creep test of ETFE foil were performed to verify the relation. Interpolation was adopted to consider creep stress and reduction factor was involved to take account of biaxial effect in numerical simulation. Simulation results of the bubble creep test embraced a good agreement with those measuring ones. In triangle cushion creep test, creep displacements from numerical simulation showed a good agreement with those from creep test at the center and lower foil measuring points.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.93-100
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• 2014

Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) has been widely used in long-span buildings because of its light weight and high transparency. This paper studies the short and long term creep behaviour of ETFE foil. A series of short-term creep and recovery tests were performed, in which the residual strain was observed. A long-term creep test of the ETFE foil was also performed over 110 days. A viscoelastic-plastic model was then established to describe the short-term creep and recovery behaviour. The model contains a traditional multi-Kelvin part and an added steady-flow component to represent the viscoelastic and viscoplastic behaviour, respectively. The model successfully fit the data for three stresses and six temperatures. Additionally, time-temperature equivalency was adopted to predict the long-term creep behaviour of ETFE foil. Horizontal shifting factors were determined from the process of shifting creep-curves at six temperatures. The long-term creep behaviours at three temperatures were predicted. Finally, the long-term creep test showed that the short-term creep test at identical temperatures insufficiently predicted additional creep behaviour, and the long-term test verified the horizontal shifting factors derived from the time-temperature equivalency.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.115-123
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• 2011

It is needed to investigate the material properties of ETFE foil under various temperatures because ETFE membrane foils have very thin depth and relatively high flexibility. In this paper, the material properties of ETFE membrane foil obtained from 3 testes under various temperatures are presented. First, the uniaxial test under four temperatures as -20$^{\circ}C$, 0$^{\circ}C$, +20$^{\circ}C$ and +40$^{\circ}C$ was performed. Each 5 specimen was tested and the yield stress, tensile strength and the Young's modulus of the foils are obtained. Second, the creep testes under three temperatures as 25$^{\circ}C$, 40$^{\circ}C$ and 60$^{\circ}C$, 3MP, 6MP and 9MP tension load was subjected to the specimen and the creep characteristics was investigated. Finally, the tear test under $5^{\circ}C$, $^0{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$ was performed. It is concluded that the shape of stress-strain curve or general behaviors are similar with that of normal temperatures but the mechanical characteristics of ETFE membrane foils were affected by the temperatures, obviously.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2013

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.57-64
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• 2010

Uniaxial tensile tests of ETFE membrane are performed in this paper. Three kinds ETFE membrane with different thickness are used in the tests. The tensile strength, the tensile strain at break and the stress-strain curve are obtained from the tests. Futhermore, The cycle loading test of ETFE membrane is carried out through using different values of cycle stress. The residual strain, the relaxation of stress and the change of the elastic modulus of foil are investigated. In the creep test, three kinds of temperature (25, 40 and 60 $^{\circ}C$)and three kinds of stress(3,6and9 MPa) are set respectively and the creep time lasts 24 hours.