Premium
Effects of a fluid environment on the stiffness of polymers
Author(s) -
McCammond D.,
Ward C. A.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760141205
Subject(s) - materials science , creep , polymer , composite material , swelling , torsion (gastropod) , ultimate tensile strength , stiffness , surgery , medicine
Abstract The effects of an isopropanol environment on the deformation characteristics of copoly (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS) and poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) have been investigated. Creep tests were performed in tension and torsion both in air and in isopropanol. It was noted that accelerated rates of creep were encountered during the tensile tests in isopropanol as compared with air but no differences were noted during the torsion tests. An explanation is proposed that the greatly increased creep strains encountered in tension result from diffusion of the fluid into the polymer. The rate of diffusion is controlled by changes in the free volume which occur on application of uniaxial tensile stresses. The existence of the fluid molecules in the polymer matrix reduce its local creep resistance and produce swelling, both of which are manifested as increased creep strains. The fact that no effects were noted during torsion tests (where the free volume remains constant) or when an unstressed specimen was immersed in the fluid indicates that no significant absorption occurs at the equilibrium (unstressed) free volume.