A Novel Instrumented Technique for Measuring Cutting Resistance of Plastics : Comparison with Rodent Bite Resistance Test and Other Mechanical Properties of the Material

This paper discusses a new mechanical test, to study the resilience of cutting of specimens, using a heavy-duty cable cutter, with an aim to mimic rodent damage of materials. Various mechanical properties of the composites; like tensile modulus, tensile strength, toughness and roughness have been studied, and corroborated with resilience and toughness of cutting. Performance of 3 compositions; consisting of certain Blends of Polyamide 12 : HDPE, Hytrel : Polytrimethylene Terephthalate (PTT), and Wollastonite reinforced Hytrel : HDPE Blends, selected from a pool of earlier studied blends and composites, displaying high Shore D and Scratch hardness, have been compared to the popular choice for cable jacketing i.e., High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). These 4 types of materials have also been exposed to rodents, to compare the results with the newly developed cutting test. These results help in understanding the properties that are essential in a material to prevent rodent damage.