Effect of temperature on the nature of the tear surface of styrene polymers

The tear surfaces of polystyrene and SKS-85 butadiene-styrene copolymer (85% styrene) have been investigated at temperatures from –45 to +100°C and from –60 to +40°C, respectively. The fracture surface of these polymers changes not only on transition from the glassy to the high-elastic state, but also within the glassy state itself, changes being observed both in the relative extent of the individual zones contributing to the fracture surface and in the nature of those zones. Changes in the nature of the fracture surface associated with a slowing of the fracture process occur at 0 and 40°C in the case of polystyrene and at –10°C in the case of copolymer SKS-85 and are attributable to secondary transitions in the polymers.Moscow Technological Institute of the Meat and Dairy Industry. State Institute of Polymer Adhesives, Kirovakan. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 257–264, March–April, 1969.     

Temperature reversal of the reinforcing effect of fillers

A previous investigation [4] of the tear strength of filled systems based on SKS-85 butadiene-styrene copolymer over a broad temperature interval revealed a reversal of the reinforcing effect of fillers with a coefficient of thermal expansion different from that of the filled polymer. At Tg the strength of mixtures containing polymer fillers [Kapron (polycaprolactam) and cellophane powder] exceeds that of mixtures containing chalk and carbon black. The temperature reversal effect is attributed to the severe weakening of the adhesion of the polymer to the surface of the filler particles as a result of the concentration of shrinkage stresses in the polymer-filler contact zone. The presence of shrinkage stresses around the filler particles at Tg is qualitatively demonstrated on model systems using a photoelastic technique. Moreover, it is shown that the unbalance, and hence the residual stresses, in filled systems at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the filled polymer is determined by the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion.Moscow Technological Institute of the Meat and Dairy Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 579–583, July–August, 1969.     

Effect of physicalstate on tearing of filled systems based on linear amorphous polymers

A study has been made of the temperature dependence of the service behavior, deformation, and tear rate of filled systems based on SKS-85. It is established that the introduction of fillers which enhance the strength of systems in the high-elastic state effect a loss of strength in the vitreous state. The observed reversal of the strengthening effect from positive to negative is explained by weakening of the adhesive strength of the bond between polymer and filler particles caused by the increase and concentration of shrinkage stresses during cooling of the specimens. This effect is called temperature inversion of the reinforcing action of fillers.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 6, pp. 98–102, 1965     

Effect of the physical state on tearing of amorphous polymers

The temperature dependence of the basic tear characteristics of deformation and failure of SKS-85 copolymer in the range from Tg to T>T_f is examined. It is established that the total work done in tearing the polymer in the brittle state is determined by the work of deformation up to separation of the specimen into two parts. In contrast to this, the total work done in tearing the polymer in the high-elastic state is determined mainly by the work of formation of the tear surface.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 71–77, 1965     

Electron diffraction investigation of the fracture surfaces of filled mixtures of SKS-85 butadiene-styrene copolymer

As the result of an electron microscope study of replicas from the fracture surface during the disintegration of samples of mixtures of SKS-85 butadiene-styrene copolymer with 20 vol.% DG-100 carbon black and chalk, in the temperature range from +60 to –60°C, it is shown that, in the region of vitrification of the copolymer and of the loss of the reinforcing effect of the carbon black, there is a sharp change in the character of the fracture micro-surface, and the particles of carbon black become the sites of additional fracture. In the region of the temperature transition of the copolymer, connected with the mobility of the phenyl groups in the same way as in the vitrification region, there is a sharp decrease in the number of particles of carbon black at the fracture surface, while the fracture surface of a mixture with chalk passes selectively along the contact boundary of a polymer with larger particles. The microstructure of the Wallner lines on the surface of a mixture with carbon black, at Tst, is made up of traces of secondary fracture, arising around the particles of carbon black.Moscow Institute of Technology for the Meat and Dairy Industry. M. V. Lomonosov Institute for the Technology of Fine Chemicals, Moscow. É. L. Ter-Gazaryan State Scientific-Research and Design Institute, Kirovakan. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 437–444, May–June, 1970.     

Electron-microscope investigation of the type of fracture of filled polymers

An electron microscope was used to study the type of fracture of filled compositions based on SKN-40, SKMS-30, and SKS-85 polymers with TeG-10 thermal-decomposition black, DG-100 channel black, and chalk fillers. It is shown that in all the cases investigated the filled systems fracture along the polymer-filler interphase boundary.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 291–295, 1967     

On the fracture mechanism in filled rubbers

Possible fracture mechanisms in filled rubbers are examined in the light of the adhesion theory of elastomer reinforcement. The cases of rubbers containing inactive fillers, when the crack grows along the elastomer-filler boundary, and rubbers containing active fillers, when the crack propagates through the polymer, are considered. The effect of the presence of chains of filler particles on the fracture mechanism is examined.Lomonosov Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 127–133, January–February, 1969.     

Thermal dependence of electric conductivity in thermoplastic composites

Thermal dependence of the electric conductivity of thermoplastic composites based on both amorphous (hiPS) and crystallized (PP) polymers is investigated in this study. Two types of carbon black fillers with different values of BET surface area were used as charge conductors. Composites based on crystallized polymer matrices indicate the sharp growth of electric resistivity just before the melting range. This maximum is followed by substantial decrease of resistance at T > T_melt. With the decrease of carbon black concentration both relative growth of resistance at the T T_melt and further dropping resistance at T > T_melt increase. Composites filled with particles of higher surface area are characterized by less pronounced matrix influence on thermal dependence of electric conductivity than composites filled with particles of lower surface area; this can be caused by more pronounced matrix/filler interaction in the first case. The range of temperatures at which the resistance increase occurs does not depend on the type of carbon filler and its concentration. Composites with amorphous matrices are characterized by distinct increase of resistance above glass transition. Thermal treatment of the sample significantly affects the initial values and intensity of the temperature dependence of the resistance.To be presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials, Riga, October, 1995.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 526–532, July–August, 1995.     

The role of the porous structure of the filler in the reinfo rcement of polymers

Composites consisting of polyethylene and porous fillers with various pore sizes (from 22 to 115 Å) and surface types have been investigated. It is shown that the polymer filling the pores takes part in the deformation processes. The modulus of elasticity of the filled polymers is directly proportional to the filler surface per gram polymer. It is proposed to characterize the activity of the fillers by reference to the slope of the straight lines E-S with the hydrodynamic effect excluded.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 253–258, March–April, 1973.     

Effect of temperature on the chemical relaxation process in rubbers

The effect of temperature on the chemical relaxation of rubbers has been investigated. With reference to nine industrial rubbers it has been shown that during storage in the stressed state (at =const) chemical relaxation is chiefly determined by two processes proceeding at different rates. Furthermore, the chemical relaxation of rubbers is determined not only by the rate constants of these two processes but also by the pre-exponential constants C_0i, the relationship between which varies with increase in temperature. It is possible to extrapolate the rate constants (k_i) and pre-exponential constants (C_0i) from elevated temperatures (110–50° C) to temperatures in the range 20–25° C. An equation is proposed that makes it possible to calculate the change in the elastic properties of rubbers in the stressed state at storage temperatures (20–25° C) by means of results obtained at elevated temperatures.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 448–454, 1967     

Effect of fillers on the structure and properties of cured resins

The elastic (modulus of elasticity and equilibrium high-elastic modulus) and thermal (volume coefficients of thermal expansion below and above the glass transition temperature) properties of compositions based on ÉD-5 epoxy resin cured with polyethylenepolyamine have been investigated. Quartz powder and aluminoborosilicate glass powder were employed as fillers at concentrations from 0 to 0.413. The thermal expansion coefficients of the compositions were studied in a dilatometer, in which the specimen is free of mechanical loads. The Young's modulus at 25°C and the equilibrium high-elastic modulus at 125°C of the compositions were determined in the compression regime in an instrument based on the IZV-2 optical length gage. The thermal expansion coefficients of the polymer matrix were calculated with allowance for the elastic properties of the resin and the filler. It is shown that, as the filler concentration increases, the thermal and elastic properties of the resin in the filled system change. This can be interpreted as a change in the properties of the resin as it approaches the surface of the filler particles. Increased interaction between the filler surface and the epoxy resin tends to stiffen the polymer network.Scientific Research Institute of Precision Technology, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1018–1022, November–December, 1969.     

Physicomechanical characteristics of a disperse-filled polytetrafluoroethylene

Composite polymer materials based on PTFE containing ultradisperse -sialon (1–10 wt.%) as the cross-linking agent are studied. It is shown that the injection of small amounts of fillers (1–2 wt.%) increases the degree of composite crystallinity. A correlation between the structure, element distribution on the surface layers of samples, and tribotechnical characteristics of composites is found. The change in the physicomechanical characteristics is associated with the effect of the interstructural plasticization.Ammosov Yakutsk State University, Yakutsk, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 797–806, November–December, 1999.     

Birefringence and ultimate strength of butadiene-styrene rubber

The authors present data on the relation between the ultimate strength and birefringence of SKS-30 butadiene-styrene rubber. Rubber test pieces were subjected to orientational stretching in the temperature interval –45 to +120°C.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 550–556, 1966     

Structural susceptibility of strength characteristics of polystyrene under uniaxial stretching

The structural susceptibility of the strength characteristics of polystyrene under uniaxial stretching and under test conditions with = const and v_elong = const was studied at 20–100°C. The low structural susceptibility of the durability and durability-equation parameters is due to a change in the elementary fracture volume at different test conditions. It was proposed to characterize the degree of participation of chemical and intermolecular forces by the value U₀/.Moscow Technological Institute of Meat and Milk Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 979–984, November–December, 1974.     

High strength and high conductivity composite wires for high pulsed magnet

Magnets for high pulsed magnetic fields require a winding with high electrical conductivity, high strength, high heat capacity, and a softening temperature greater than 300 °C. Different conductors, developed on DRET contracts, are presented. The ultimate tensile stress at room temperature of macrocomposites, where the reinforcement is either a jacket or fibres, checks the rule of mixtures, whereas _uts of Cu/Nb nanocomposites with continuous Nb nanofibres exhibit a very interesting deviation from the rule of mixtures leading to _uts(77K) = 1206 MPa for 30% Nb.To be presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials, 17–20 October 1995, Riga.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 518–525, July–August, 1995.     

The nature of the β transition in the temperature dependence of polyamide mechanical loss

The mechanical loss maximum in polycaprolactam in the vicinity of –50°C at a frequency of 10 Hz ( transition) was shown not to be related directly to the presence of moisture in the polymer. This transition is also observed in dried caprone (vacuum drying at 10^–4 torr and 180°C for 30 h) after a few days following annealing. The maximum was shown by IR spectroscopy to decrease and shift towards lower temperatures when hydrogen bonding is weakened as a result of prior heating or compression strain. A conclusion is drawn concerning the relationship between the transition and hydrogen bonding which fixes the amide groups in the amorphous polymer phase.M. I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. A. F. Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 919–922, September–October, 1972.     

Strength of polyethylene and capron as a function of stretch ratio

The relation between the strengths and stretch ratios of a capronmonofilament and a high-pressure polyethylene film has been investigated for various stretching temperatures and stretching rates. The strength, measured at –196°C (_–196), is directly proportional to the stretch ratio (). For a given , _-196 does not depend on stretching temperature and stretching rate. The breaking load at –196° C (for a given initial cross section of the starting unoriented specimen) does not vary with . A possible explanation is offered.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 591–595, 1967     

Comparative estimation of the degree of crosslinking of styrene-unsaturated polyester copolymers

Copolymers of polydiethylene glycol maleate-sebacates and styrene have been investigated. The degree of crosslinking () has been estimated by a physical method (_p) from the Mooney — Rivlin equation and Wall's formula and also by a chemical method (_c) based on hydrolysis of the copolymer in an alkaline medium. In most cases the difference between the values of calculated from the Mooney — Rivlin equation and Wall's formula does not exceed 20%. It is shown that a linear correlation exists between _p and _c. The fact that the values of _p are lower than those of _c is attributable to the specific characteristics of the molecular network — the presence of short chain segments between neighboring network points and nonload-bearing free ends.Scientific-Research Institute of Plastics, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 963–968, November–December, 1971.     

Comparison of specific tear and tensile-fracture energies as a method of estimating the structural quality of rubbers

It is shown that the ratio of the specific (characteristic) tear energy H in "knotty" tear (with loss of tear direction) to the specific tensilefracture energy W_Z of a rubber is proportional to the product of the coefficient of variation of the tensile strength and the fluctuations K of the values of H due to the "knottiness" of the tear: H/W_Z K. The coefficient of variation characterizes the structural quality of the rubber (frequency of defects). The ratio H/K gives an idea of the tensile-fracture energy in the absence of defects.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 846–849, 1967     

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.