The Physics of Glassy Polymers

Abstract

(The Nature of Polymer Glasses, Their Packing Density and Mechanical Behaviour).- The Nature of Polymeric Glasses.- The common glassy polymers.- The softening of polymer glasses.- Polymer melts and rubbers.- The crystallisation of polymers.- Amorphous isotactic polymers.- The morphology of amorphous polymers.- Packing Volume in the Glassy State.- The expansion volume of amorphous polymers.- Free volume concepts derived from viscosity theories.- Viscosity and free volume in polymers.- Geometrical factors affecting the possible value of the free volume at Tg.- Bernal's random close packed volume.- The Rigidity of Polymer Glasses.- Large Deformations and Fracture.- References.- 1 The Thermodynamics of the Glassy State.- 1.1 Introductory Thermodynamic Considerations.- 1.2 Glassy Solidification and Transition Phenomena.- 1.2.1 General considerations and transitions of different order.- 1.2.2 Glassy solidification with one or several internal parameters.- 1.2.3 Experimental results.- 1.2.4 Position of the equilibrium curve below the glass temperature.- 1.2.5 Zero point volume of a polymer.- 1.3 Results of the Thermodynamic Theory of Linear Relaxation Phenomena.- 1.4 Glassy Mixed Phases.- 1.4.1 The glassy solidification of polymer solutions.- 1.4.2 The glassy solidification of cross-linked systems. The coexistence of glassy phases with phases in internal equilibrium.- 1.5 The Mobility and Structure of Glassy Phases.- References.- 2 X-Ray Diffraction Studies of the Structure of Amorphous Polymers.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 The Interaction of X-rays With Matter.- 2.2.1 Scattering by a free electron.- 2.2.2 Interference among scattered waves.- 2.2.3 Atomic scattering factor.- 2.2.4 Compton scattering.- 2.3 Order and Orientation in Polymers.- 2.3.1 Order.- 2.3.2 Orientation.- 2.4 Diffraction of X-rays by Amorphous Materials.- 2.5 Small Angle X-ray Scattering.- 2.5.1 Introduction.- 2.5.2 Experimental requirements for SAXS.- 2.5.3 Outline of the theory of SAXS.- 2.5.4 Some applications of SAXS.- 2.6 The Radial Distribution Function for Amorphous Polymers.- References.- 3 Relaxation Processes in Amorphous Polymers.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Molecular Motion in Polymeric Melts and Glasses.- 3.2.1 General description of relaxational processes.- 3.2.2 Relaxational processes at the crystal melt temperature.- 3.2.3 Relaxations in the amorphous state above Tg and below Tm.- 3.2.4 Relaxational processes at the glass transition.- 3.2.5 Relaxations in the glassy state.- 3.3 Secondary Relaxation Regions in Typical Organic Glasses.- 3.3.1 Secondary relaxation regions in Polyvinylchloride.- 3.3.2 Secondary relaxation regions in polystyrene.- 3.3.3 Secondary relaxations in polymethylmethacrylate.- References.- 4 Creep in Glassy Polymers.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Phenomenological Theory of Creep.- 4.2.1 Linear theory.- 4.2.2 Nonlinear theory-creep equations.- 4.2.3 Nonlinear theory-superposition rules.- 4.3 Apparatus and Experimental Methods.- 4.3.1 General principles.- 4.3.2 Special experimental requirements.- 4.3.3 Special experiments.- 4.4 Creep Phenomena in Glassy Polymers.- 4.4.1 Typical creep behaviour.- 4.4.2 Creep at elevated temperatures.- 4.4.3 Creep in anisotropic samples.- 4.4.4 Recovery behaviour.- 4.4.5 Creep under intermittent stress.- 4.4.6 Creep under abrupt changes of stress.- 4.5 Final Comments.- References and Bibliography.- 5 The Yield Behaviour of Glassy Polymers.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Exact Definitions.- 5.2.1 Stress.- 5.2.2 Strain.- 5.2.3 The deformation-rate tensor.- 5.2.4 The yield point.- 5.2.5 Nomenclature for deformation processes.- 5.3 Mechanical Tests.- 5.3.1 The tensile test.- 5.3.2 The uniaxial compression test.- 5.3.3 The plane strain compression test.- 5.3.4 Tests in simple shear.- 5.3.5 Machine elasticity.- 5.3.6 Drawing at constant load.- 5.4 Characteristics of the Yield Process.- 5.4.1 The yield point and the yield stress.- 5.4.2 The yield strain.- 5.4.3 Strain softening and orientation hardening.- 5.4.4 The strain-rate dependence of the yield stress.- 5.4.5 The temperature dependence of the yield stress and the yield strain.- 5.4.6 The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the yield stress and yield strain.- 5.4.7 The effect of polymer structure on the yield stress.- 5.4.8 Volume changes at yield.- 5.4.9 The Bauschinger effect.- 5.5 Inhomogeneous Deformation.- 5.5.1 The reasons for inhomogeneous deformation.- 5.5.2 The principle of maximum plastic resistance.- 5.5.3 The geometry of inhomogeneous deformation.- 5.5.4 Strain inhomogeneities in polymers.- 5.6 Structural Observations.- 5.6.1 Birefringence.- 5.6.2 Electron microscopy.- 5.7 Yield Criteria for Polymers.- 5.7.1 The Tresca yield criterion.- 5.7.2 The von Mises yield criterion.- 5.7.3 The Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion.- 5.7.4 The modified Tresca criterion.- 5.7.5 The modified von Mises criterion.- 5.7.6 Choice of a yield criterion for polymers.- 5.8 Molecular Theories of Yielding.- 5.8.1 Reduction of the Tg by the applied stress.- 5.8.2 Stress-indu