Acoustic and dynamic mechanical properties of a polyurethane rubber

Acoustical and dynamic mechanical measurements were carried out on a commercial polyurethane rubber, DeSoto PR1547. The sound speed and attenuation were measured over the range from 12.5 to 75 kHz and 3.9 to 33.6 degrees C. Shear modulus was measured from 10(-4) to 2 Hz and -36 to 34 degrees C. The peak heights of the shear loss tangent varied with temperature, demonstrating thermorheological complexity. At higher temperatures, time-temperature superpositioning could be applied, with the shift factors following the Williams-Landel-Ferry equation. From the combined acoustical and mechanical measurements, values for the dynamic bulk modulus were determined. Moreover, superposition of the bulk modulus data was achieved using the shift factors determined from the dynamic mechanical shear measurements. Finally, this work illustrates the capability and the working rules of acoustical measurements in a small tank.