Mechanical properties of polyester polymer-concrete

The properties of a polymer-concrete composed of polyester matrix and locally available rock aggregate are investigated. The formula of the concrete is found by an experimental-calculation approach in such a way as to attain a closer packing of the aggregate particles on the one hand, and to ensure the needed processing characteristics (placeability) of the mix on the other. It is shown experimentally that the material obtained has a rather high compression strength. Under prolonged compression loads, the polymer-concrete exhibits a noticeable creep behavior with a linear relation between the creep strains and stresses. After the action of half the ultimate load over 3000 h, the total strains exceed the instantaneous ones by 2.0 to 2.2 times. The accumulation of irreversible strains is also observed; however, their contribution to the total strain is small. It is found that the stress-strain relation can be represented by the equation of linear hereditary creep theory.     

Time and temperature dependent deformation of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK)

The stress-strain behavior in tension and the effect of temperature on the creep of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) have been studied. At room temperature, 130° below the glass-transition temperature, the material does not become brittle, and the specimens show necking in tension over a wide range of elongation rates. The stress and strain at yield and the strain at break are almost linear functions of the logarithmic elongation rate. The values of stress and strain at yield increase slightly with increasing elongation rate, while the strain at break decreases markedly. The short-term creep tests were conducted at temperatures extending from 20 to 200°C. The glass-transition temperature was found to be about 155°C. The creep of PEEK is greatest at temperatures above 130°C. In the glass region the time dependence of the deformation is much weaker. It has been found that the time-temperature relation for PEEK corresponds well with its thermorheological simplicity in the temperature range investigated. The data on the temperature shift factor below and above the glass-transition temperature may be fitted separately to the Arrhenius and Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equations, respectively. The long-term creep tests show that PEEK has excellent creep resistance at room temperature. After 14-month tests at a stress level of 30 MPa the total strain exceeds the instantaneous elastic strain only by a factor of 1.15.Institute of Polymer Mechanics. Latvian Academy of Sciences, 23 Aizkraukles St., LV-1006 Riga. Latvia. Department of Polymeric Materials, Chalmers University of Technology. S-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 734–746, November–December, 1997.     

Relaxation and optical properties of cured epoxy resin

Epoxy resin cured with methyltetrahydrophthalic and maleic anhydrides has been tested in relaxation, creep, and compression at constant strain rate. The constants characterizing the relaxation properties and the approximate limits of the spectrum of most probable relaxation times have been determined; it is shown that the mechanical properties can be described by means of equations with two relaxation times. The residual optical effect has also been investigated. A linear relationship between the high-elastic strains and the path difference in the birefringent state is preserved at temperatures below the glass transition region.Read at Moscow State University polymer mechanics seminar.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 15–23, January–February, 1970.     

Effect of temperature and moisture on the creep of polymeric materials 1. One-dimensional extension under stationary temperature-moisture conditions

Creep tests have been carried out on PN-3 polyester resin for one-dimensional tension in the linear region of the stress-strain relation at various fixed values of the temperature and moisture content of the material. The temperature and moisture dependence of the instantaneous elasticity and creep characteristics of the material have been determined. It is shown that time-temperature-moisture superposition can apply in creep under various fixed temperature-moisture conditions.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 393–399, May–June, 1975.     

Photoelastic determination of polymer creep stresses and strains

A physical basis provided for the relation between the measured optical quantities and the unknown mechanical quantities in the photoelastic determination of stresses and strains. Questions relating to the "freezing in" of strains are considered in connection with creep tests on models made of optically sensitive polymeric materials. The determination of the stress concentration at the edge of an opening in a strip tested in creep is considered as an example of the application of the theory.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 739–746, July–August, 1970.     

Investigation of the integral creep equations (cubic nonlinearity) for different loading paths

Expressions for the creep strain obtained in accordance with the Leaderman-Rozovskii theory and in the form of a multiple-integral Volterra series are compared for different loading paths. The influence functions are assumed to be symmetrical. The strain intensity-time curves are calculated for a complex loading path for which the stress intensity is constant. It is found that these curves are nonmonotonic for both linear and nonlinear creep.Read at Fourth Symposium on Rheology, Moscow, May 27–30, 1969.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 35–42, January–February, 1970.     

Concerning the mechanism of fracture of oriented glass-reinforced plastics in uniaxial compression

The mechanism of fracture of an oriented glass-reinforced plastic in uniaxial compression in various directions in the plane of the sheet is considered on the basis of experimental observations of the microstructure and data on the variation of the linear and volume strains with increasing load. It is shown that increases in load are accompanied by a steady increase in crack development and damage accumulation.Leningrad Structural Engineering Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 238–242, March–April, 1971.     

Creep of linear unoriented polymers in tension,compression, and torsion

The creep of polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and polyethylene in tension, compression, and torsion has been investigated over a broad interval of temperature below the glass transition point. It is shown that the creep criterion changes depending on the temperature. This is associated with changes in molecular mobility.A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 24–28, January–February, 1970.     

Numerical Prediction of the Strain State of Thermoset Matrix/Mineral Filler Composite Plates

The numerical prediction of the fields of inelastic strains (the linear invariant of the tensor of inelastic strains) in thermoset polyester/marble filler composite plates is discussed. A uniformly distributed load is applied to the plates, which lie on a steel base. The strain fields are predicted by means of the boundary element method by using creep test data for the composites and the polyester matrix itself. Identical creep tests were performed for two ages of the materials (1 month and 13 years), which allowed evaluating the aging effect. The study is carried out in two stages. At the first stage, the application of the generalized Maxwell-Gurevich equation to the thermoset matrix/mineral filler composite is demonstrated. The model parameters determined from the experimental creep data is used for the second stage, where the state of inelastic strains in the plates is predicted by applying the boundary element method. The influence of composite formulation (filler content) and physical aging of the polyester matrix on the state of inelastic strains in the plates is shown.__________Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 145–156, March–April, 2005.     

Effect of aging of the binder on the creep of polymer concrete

Two polyester concretes with diabase and marble fillers and aggregates are used as examples to illustrate the possibility of using a structural approach to evaluate the creep of the composite in the initial state and after preliminary aging under laboratory conditions for a period of 12–13 yrs. Experimental study of the creep of polymer concrete and its structural components (resin and binder) after preliminary aging at elevated temperatures (60, 90°) established that the change that occurs in viscoelastic compliance with aging conforms to the analogy principle with a reduction function that depends on aging temperature and time.Institute of Polymer Mechanics. Latvian Academy of Sciences Riga, Latvia. Central Laboratory of Physico-chemical Mechanics Sofia. Bulgaria. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 787–794, November–December, 1996.     

Creep and long-time strength of oriented glass-reinforced plastics in interlaminar shear

The creep and long-time strength in interlaminar shear and the creep in compression in the direction of the reinforcement have been experimentally investigated for certain types of oriented glass-reinforced plastics. The specimens in the interlaminar creep tests took the form of short beams loaded in bending. The experimental creep data for shear and compression are well described by the hereditary theory with a kernel of the Abel type (shear) or in the form of a Rabotnov function (compression). If the stresses are constant in time, good agreement with experiment is also given by Findley's form of the aging theory. A deformation criterion of interlaminar shear strength is also obtained. The experimental curves and values of the creep and long-time strength constants are presented.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1003–1012, November–December, 1971.     

Hygrothermomechanical behavior of composites under nonsymmetric environmental effects

The paper discusses analytical methods for the stimation of mechanical properties and the behavior of composite materials under unilateral environmental exposure. An advanced graphite/epoxy composite plate and a densified wooden strand board of different configurations were examined. It was found that midplane strains, curvatures, and warping at nonsymmetric moisture (or temperature) distribution depended on the moisture content profile, composite type, and configuration as well as stacking sequence of layers. The optimum configuration for hygrothermal response may not coincide with that of mechanical properties.Institute of Structural Engineering and Reconstruction, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia, LV-1048. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 507–518, July–August, 1997.     

Comparative Studies on the Mechanical Properties of a Thermoset Polymer in Tension and Compression

Results of an experimental investigation into the mechanical properties of a polyester resin in tension and compression are reported. Features of the stress-strain curves obtained are discussed. Data on the elastic modulus, Poisson ratio, and volume strains are obtained. The results of creep behavior of the material in tension and compression are also presented. It is found that the time-dependent creep obeys a power law, but the nonlinear stress dependence can be described by using the hyperbolic sine function. The effect of load type (tension or compression) on the nonlinearity of the creep is analyzed. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 633–650, September–October, 2005.     

Multiaxial constitutive modeling of aircraft engine materials

Based on a newly developed theory (Lu and Weng, Acta Mech., in press) the high temperature behavior of an aircraft engine material is studied under combined stress state. Both monotonic and cyclic deformations are examined to uncover its stress-strain response, as well as its cyclic hardening and strain-ratchetting characteristics. Under a biaxial loading it is disclosed that tensile cyclic hardening is greatly magnified with a superimposed lateral tension, whereas the strain-ratchetting process is led to an enhanced, unsettling state with a superimposed lateral compression. The biaxial transient and steady-state creep strains have also been calculated. The results suggest that while a superimposed lateral tension will inhibit the creep deformation, a lateral compression can greatly promote the inelastic flow. To reflect the practical service conditions of an aircraft engine, the theory is further applied to examine the effect of loading frequency on the development of inelastic strains under concurrent thermal and mechanical loading. It is found that a more frequently flying aircraft will have a greater accumulation of creep strains and, consequently, a greater possibility of material damage in its engine components over the same total flying time.     

Behavior of copolymers of styrene with polyester-acrylate in isothermal uniaxial compression

The behavior of a series of three-dimensional copolymers of styrene with polyester-acrylate has been investigated in isothermal uniaxial compression and recuperation. The similarity of the behavior of linear and three-dimensional polymers is noted. It is shown that the behavior of polymer specimens in repeat compression after a recuperation period is determined by the relaxational nature of the recuperation process. A relation has been established between the forced-elastic limit in compression and the structure of certain three-dimensional polymers. The effect of the concentration of initiating system components on the forced-elastic limit in compression is demonstrated.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 195–199, 1967     

Effect of random irregularities of the creep of reinforced layered plastics

The authors investigate the creep of inhomogeneous materials consisting of a large number of stiff orthotropic elastic layers alternating with layers of linear isotropic viscoelastic material. The elastic layers are assumed to be almost plane; the functions describing the irregularities (curvature) form a random field. The averaged characteristics of the medium are found together with the variation of the averaged displacements and strains in time. An analogous problem was previously considered in [1, 6] on the assumption that the binder layers are elastic. The present paper is based on the equations of [1] and the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle [4]. When the correlation scales of the irregularities are small as compared with the dimensions of the body and the characteristic distances over which the averaged parameters of the stress-strain state vary appreciably is considered in detail. A relation is established between the creep functions for simple cases of the state of stress and the parameters characterizing the properties of the components, the properties of the random field of initial irregularities, etc. The development of perturbations with different wave numbers is investigated. The theory is used to describe the creep of reinforced layered plastics.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 755–762, 1966     

Analitical Description of the Creep of Expanded Polystyrene under Compressive Loading

Data obtained in testing the creep of expanded polystyrene plates in compression are discussed. Power-type and exponential regression equations are used for describing the compression creep curves. Within the limits of data spread, both these equations represent experimental results equally well. A correlation between the creep strain and density, the compressive stress at a 10% strain, and the elastic modulus in compression is revealed for the material investigated.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 525–534, July–August, 2005     

Thermocreep of polyethylene in the cyclic temperature regime

The shear creep and recovery of low-density polyethylene has been investigated in the constant and cyclic temperature regimes. It is shown that in the cyclic regime the relaxation processes are accelerated and the nonisothermal creep strains become progressively greater than the isothermal strains at the maximum temperature of the cycle. In recovery the relaxation spectra are shifted along the time scale relative to the creep spectra, the shifts for simple shear and uniaxial tension being nonidentical.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 227–235, March–April, 1969.     

Long-time stability of orthotropic cylindrical shells under external pressure

The problem is solved using a refined theory of shells that takes shear strains into account. The shell deformations are described by means of the relations for an orthotropic material, it being assumed that creep strains develop only as a result of shear forces. The geometrically linear problem is considered. For the sake of comparison, the long-time critical load is calculated on a Minsk-22 computer using the Kirchhoff-Love and refined models. It is shown that when shears are taken into account, in certain cases the critical load may be reduced by 30%.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 315–320, March-April, 1969.     

Creep and aftereffect of polyethyleneterephthalate films under conditions of uniaxial stress

The results are given for an experimental investigation of creep and aftereffect in polyethyleneterephthalate films stressed in tension. It is shown that the creep is well represented by an exponential relation. A method of determining the corresponding coefficients is described.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 59–63, 1965