From Raw Data to Master Curve - Improving the Time-Temperature Superposition Process Using Geometrical Properties of Temperature-Frequency Sweeps

In order to design and produce a component that can reliably withstand varying dynamic loading, an extensive characterization of the component material must be performed across a wide range of frequencies. This study uses dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) to determine the viscoelastic behavior of a blend of natural and butadiene rubber, a dummy material used to showcase the capabilities of a newly developed time-temperature superposition procedure. This procedure is embedded in a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), which allows for quick postprocessing of the measurement results with very little effort. The workflow and the possibilities of this postprocessing interface will be explained from the point of importing the raw measurement data up to the export of the master curve, its further use in calibration of the suitable material model or a definition of the material properties directly for a finite element software.