One of the research stages within the PVCare project are experiments determining the failure parameters of poly(vinyl chloride) objects, i.e. strain at break. This parameter depends on the deformation rate and on the temperature. Thus, by performing a series of experiments at different rates of deformation and temperatures and analyzing results according to the time-temperature superposition principle, we can create a time dependence of the critical strain, the so-called failure strain master curve. By determining this relationship, we can predict the long-term properties of the material and propose a preventive conservation strategy for PVC objects for the coming decades!
This research is financed by the National Science Center Poland (NCN, project no. 2020/39/I/HS2/00911) and Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS, project no. N1-0241).