DefenceThe purpose of the present investigation was to find a method for the measurement of the tensile strength of viscoelastic fluids, gels, and other systems of similar consistency. A number of methods have been described for the measurement of the so-called "gel Most apparatus suggested, however, are adapted to specific uses and the experimental values are dependent on the specific apparatus. Moreover, the definition and significance of the properties measured are often obscure: some of the apparatus measure the rigidity, others the elasticity, others again the plasticity of the gels and there exists no physical correlation between the results of various methods.The tensile strength of gels, on the other hand, is a physically and dimensionally well-defined constant of the materials, and the apparatus for the determination of this tensile strength described here gives results independent of its geometry and construction.
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