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I have been given the task of designing a new wheel rim (the metal part of the wheel) but instead of metal, it has to be made out of a polymer.

I'm thinking of using either PVC or PET but I don't know if either of those plastics will be able to support the weight of a car and am not sure how to find that out.

If anyone can think of a different polymer that I could use instead that would be better suited feel free to include it as an answer. This is only theoretical so cost/difficulty to manufacture is not a big hassle.

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  • $\begingroup$ Weight is an extrinsic variable, stress is intrinsic. I suggest editing the question. The polymer's ability to support the car is dependent on the weight of the car and the dimensions of the rim. The Question you have asked is not answerable. $\endgroup$
    – A.K.
    Commented Jul 25, 2016 at 16:06

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You need to define what you mean by "stronger". Are you talking about resisting deflection (and thus rolling losses)? Yield? Break? Impact? Abrasion? Lifespan? Ability to withstand heating from its deflection as the vehicle rolls? Also, any material can "withstand the weight of a car" if you use enough of it, do you know what sort of geometry you're talking about?

Lastly, the material properties of polymers depend a lot on the manufacturing processes and the details of the raw materials (chain lengths, branching, monomer ratios, etc) and additives. A good example is PET. Check out the difference in tensile strength between simple thermoformed PET and BoPET (Mylar), for example; they're vastly higher for BoPET. And the reason is because it's elongated to near breaking at lower temperatures - thus orienting the polymer - and then given a heat treatment to relax it into its new shape.

I think you need to define your problem statement better. Think about what properties you want, your geometry, and how you plan to manufacture it. Also, what are the parameters you're trying to optimize?

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Use PVC as it has a greater value of young's modulus: 490,000 psi

PET has a young's modulus of: approximately: approx 430,000 psi

Higher the young's modulus the greater the resistance to deformation.

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