Abstract
The tensile strength and ultimate elongation of polymeric materials depend on both the temperature and experimental time scale. The mechanical properties of amorphous polymers at temperatures above their glass transition temperature Tg are more amenable to treatment in terms of molecular theories than are their mechanical properties at temperatures below Tg or the mechanical properties of crystalline polymers. For amorphous polymers at temperatures above Tg the viscoelastic properties in small deformations have been studied rather extensively, and several molecular theories—essentially identical—have been published. In contrast, few systematic studies have been made of the effect of time and temperature on the ultimate properties. Consequently, only a limited amount of data is available which can serve as a basis for developing and verifying molecular theories dealing with ultimate properties. A recent theory by F. Bueche treats the time and temperature dependence of tensile strength. According to his theory, the tensile strength for a given material is a universal function of a reduced time or a reduced strain rate, except at short times or high strain rates where the material approaches glasslike behavior. Also, to superpose data measured at different temperatures, a shift factor is needed which is determined by the temperature dependence of the frictional factor for polymeric segment mobility and thus is the same factor as used to superpose viscoelastic data measured in small deformations. Thus, according to Bueche's theory, the temperature dependence of the tensile strength is given by the equation of Williams, Landel, and Ferry which is applicable in the temperature range Tg<T<(Tg+100). Bueche reported some tensile data for polybutyl methacrylate which has a glass transition temperature of 8° C. These tensile data were measured under various constant loads at temperatures between 30 and 95° C, and reasonable agreement between theory and experiment was found. Although Bueche did not consider the ultimate elongation, it seems reasonable that such data can be superposed by using the same shift factor as required to superpose the tensile strength data. Other workers have not considered explicitly the effect of viscous forces on the ultimate properties but have considered the effect of such variables as molecular weight, degree of crosslinking, and plasticizers.
