Influence of friction in compression testing of a chromoplastic polymer

The results of the compression test of some specimens made of a chromoplastic polymer show that due to the friction between their flat frontal surfaces and the cobalt discs of the test machine to which forces are applied, the state of stress in the specimens is no longer uniaxial and homogeneous, the deformations along their axis being uneven. Experimental research and numerical analysis using finite element method confirms this appreciation and the differences that occur as regards the state of tension over the situation where friction is absent.