Influence of Temperature and Strain Rate on the Compressive Behavior of PMMA and Polycarbonate Polymers

Abstract

Abstract. Compression stress-strain measurements have been made on commercial polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) polymers as a function of tcmperature (-197°C to 220°C) and strain rate. A split-Hopkinson-pressure bar (SJIPU) was used to achieve strain rates of about 2500 s-' and a servohydraulic tester was used for lower strain rate testing (0.001 to 5 s-'). The mechanical response of these transparent polymers is quite different. The strength of PC is weakly dependent on strain rate, only moderately dependent on temperature, and remains ductile to -197OC. In contrast, the strength of PMMA is linearly dependent on temperature and strongly dependent on strain rate. Significantly, PMMA develops cracking and fails in compression with little ductility ( 7 4 % total strain) at either low strain rates and very low temperatures or at high strain rates and temperatures very near ambient.

The high strain rate compressive behaviour of polycarbonate and polyvinylidene difluoride

“…Blumenthal et al measured compressive stress-strain curves of PC [31]; whilst they investigated fewer temperatures and strain rates than this study, data were presented from low strain rate experiments at different temperatures. Their experimental conditions, and the peak stress under each condition, are summarised in Table 2.…”

Temperature-dependent mechanical behaviour of PMMA: Experimental analysis and modelling

“…Over the studied temperature range, the yield stress decreased by 67.7%. It is worth mentioning that various researchers found that yield stress, ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus decreased with increasing temperature [27,30]. The strain at fracture ε fr (characterising an extent of elongation of the specimen elongated to failure) demonstrated different behaviour described with an exponential regression model:…”

Dynamic flow and failure of confined polymethylmethacrylate

“…The first slope gets increasingly milder at higher confining pressures. (Arruda et al, 1995;Blumental et al, 2001;Li and Lambros, 2001;Moy et al, 2003;Van-Melick et al, 1997). Fig.…”