Comparative Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties of Rubber Band and Metal Spring

The tensile tests of a metal spring and a rubber band are studied comparatively. It is found that the elastic force of rubber band is proportional to its elongation in a certain range of deformation, which satisfies Hooke’s theorem. This is same as the result of the metal spring. By comparing the vibration property of the systems composed of metal spring and rubber band respectively, it is found that the property of “intrinsic” damped vibration of the rubber band oscillator is completely different from that of the viscous damped vibration of the harmonic oscillator. It is concluded that the static mechanical property of rubber band is similar to that of metal spring, but its dynamic mechanical property is completely different from that of metal spring.