Uniaxial compression stress-strain tests were carried out on three commercial amorphous polymers: polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polyamideimide (PAI). The experiments were conducted under a wide range of temperatures (À40°C to 180°C) and strain rates (0.0001 s À1 up to 5000 s À1 ). A modified split-Hopkinson pressure bar was used for high strain rate tests. Temperature and strain rate greatly influence the mechanical response of the three polymers. In particular, the yield stress is found to increase with decreasing temperature and with increasing strain rate. The experimental data for the compressive yield stress were modeled for a wide range of strain rates and temperatures according to a new formulation of the cooperative model based on a strain rate/temperature superposition principle. The modeling results of the cooperative model provide evidence on the secondary transition by linking the yield behavior to the energy associated to the b mechanical loss peak. The effect of hydrostatic pressure is also addressed from a modeling perspective.

No abstract

A robust physically consistent three-dimensional constitutive model is developed to describe the finite mechanical response of amorphous polymers over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates, including the rubbery region and for impact loading rates. This thermomechanical model is based on an elastic-viscoplastic rheological approach, wherein the effects of temperature, strain rate, and hydrostatic pressure are accounted for. Intramolecular, as well as intermolecular, interactions under large elastic-inelastic behavior are considered for the mechanisms of deformation and hardening. For a wide range of temperatures and strain rates, our simulated results for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) are in good agreement with experimental observations.

No abstract