Activities Stress-strain experiment
Chapter 2 · Biomechanics of laryngeal tissue

Rubber Band Stress-Strain Experiment

Apply progressively larger loads to a rubber band, measure the resulting length, and examine how the slope of its stress-strain curve changes.

Your work stays on this device.

Text and measurements autosave in this browser. The setup photo is used only for the current session and is never uploaded. Print or save the finished report as a PDF before leaving.

Before you begin

Procedure and safety

Six loaded measurements
  1. 1Measure the band’s width, thickness, and resting length in millimeters. Use the same reference points throughout.
  2. 2Secure the band beside a ruler. Record whether one strand or both sides of an intact loop support the load.
  3. 3Add one object at a time. Enter only the mass of the newly added object, not the cumulative total.
  4. 4Wait the same amount of time after each addition, then record the total loaded length.
  5. 5Choose loads that span a useful range. Stop if the band, support, or weights become unstable.
  6. 6Interpret the curve, attach a setup photo, then print or save the completed report as a PDF.

Part 1

Setup and specimen

Ready

Part 2

Measurements and calculations

0 of 6 complete

Enter the object name, the mass of the object added at that step, and the band’s total loaded length. Calculated values update automatically.

Trial Object added Mass added
(g)		 Cumulative mass
(g)		 Total length
(mm)		 Extension ΔL
(mm)		 Strain
(ΔL/L₀)		 Force
(N)		 Stress
(kPa)		 Check
No load None 0.0 0.0 — 0.0 0.0% 0.00 0 Complete setup
Load 1 — — — — — Not entered
Load 2 — — — — — Not entered
Load 3 — — — — — Not entered
Load 4 — — — — — Not entered
Load 5 — — — — — Not entered
Load 6 — — — — — Not entered
How the calculations work

Cumulative mass is the sum of all objects added so far. Force = mass in kilograms × 9.81 m/s².

Strain = (loaded length − resting length) ÷ resting length.

Stress = force ÷ effective cross-sectional area. The effective area is width × thickness × number of load-bearing strands.

Part 3

Stress-strain curve

Strain on x-axis · Stress on y-axis

Rubber band stress-strain curve A scatterplot of calculated stress against strain that updates as measurements are entered.

Look at the slope as strain increases. A straight line has a constant slope; a nonlinear response changes slope across the curve.

Part 4

Methods and interpretation

Part 5

Setup photo

No photo selected.

Submission readiness

Complete each item before saving your report.

  • Setup measurements complete
  • Six loaded measurements complete
  • Methods response complete
  • Interpretation complete
  • Setup photo attached