Friction properties of highly elastic materials at high contact pressures

A newly designed high-pressure tribometer has been employed to investigate the pressure dependence of the friction force of SKN-40 crosslinked butadiene-nitrile rubber in contact with a steel surface on the pressure range to 1200 kgf/cm² (20°C). Over the entire range of contact pressures the friction process is molecular-kinetic in nature and characterized by a linear dependence of the friction force on the logarithm of the sliding velocity. In the region of normal pressures up to 200 kgf/cm², where the effect of pressure on the friction force reduces to the formation of the actual contact area, the friction constant (proportionality factor relating the friction force and the actual contact area) is practically independent of the pressure. At pressures above 200–300 kgf/cm² the increase in the friction force at fixed actual contact area is attributable to the effect of pressure on the friction constant. The nature of this effect is related not with an increase in the chain-surface interaction energy (the activation energy does not increase), but with an increase in the forces of adhesion owing to the greater number of polymer chain-steel surface contacts on the actual contact area (increase in contact density).Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute, Laboratory for Problems of Polymer Physics. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 140–146, January–February, 1971.     

Investigation of the temperature change associated with the adiabatic compression of high-density polyethylene

The changes in the temperature of high-density polyethylene specimens during adiabatic compression and unloading have been experimentally investigated at various initial temperatures and at pressures up to 2500 kgf/cm². It is shown that the temperature rise depends nonmonotonically on the initial temperature, which is due to the temperature and pressure dependence of the volume expansion coefficient and thermal stability.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 416–419, May–June, 1976.     

Creep of fluoroplastic under the joint action of tension and hydrostatic pressure

Conclusions 1. The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the creep of Teflon has been investigated under isothermal conditions. The applicability of the principle of reduced variables for reduction of creep curves with respect to pressure has been shown.2. It has been ascertained that in the pressure region from atmospheric to 1600 kgf/cm² there are two subregions, which are separated by a transition at a pressure of 700–800 kgf/cm². It has been shown that in these subregions the occurrence of relaxation processes has different characters.3. A direct measurement of the free volume of Teflon has been made in the temperature range from 40 to 120°C. A sharp increase in free volume in the region of the temperature transition has been shown.Leningrad Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. Okhtinsk Scientific and Industrial Union "Plastpolimer," Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 434–438, May–June, 1977.     

Strength of boron fibers

The tensile and flexural strength and elastic properties of continuous boron fibers 95–105 µ in diameter obtained by depositing boron on a tungsten filament 10–12 µ in diameter have been investigated. The strength properties are primarily determined by the defects present at the boron sheath-core interface and for the fibers investigated have a limit of approximately 400 kgf/mm². Coarse surface or internal defects are capable of reducing the strength of the fibers to 200–250 kfg/mm².All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1126–1127, November–December, 1970.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the water absorption of epoxy polymers

The water absorption of epoxy polymers at hydrostatic pressures up to 1000 kgf/cm² has been studied. It has been shown that pressure very definitely reduces the water absorption value but essentially does not change the diffusion coefficient of water into the polymers under study. An explanation of the data obtained is given.     

Time-temperature superposition applied to crosslinked polymers in creep with superimposed hydrostatic pressure

The creep of an epoxy composition under combined tension and hydrostatic pressure (up to 800 kgf/cm²) has been investigated. The applicability of time-temperature superposition to a complex state of stress is demonstrated. Hydrostatic pressure is shown to affect the deformability of crosslinked polymers in tension.Leningrad Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. Plastpolimer Research-Production Association, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 541–544, May–June, 1976.     

The vibration-time analogy

The vibrocreep of low-density polyethylene has been investigated in nonisothermal deformation regimes on the frequency range 150–400 Hz at variable stress amplitudes from 3.1 to 5.8 kgf/cm². The validity of the time-vibration superposition principle has been tested.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 793–798, September–October, 1968.     

Polyformaldehyde as an antifriction material

The antifriction properties of polyformaldehyde have been studied on the velocity interval from 4 · 10^–4 to 10 m/sec and at loads to 300 kgf/cm². Tests were conducted with and without lubrication on laboratory friction machines of various types and under service conditions. Steel, emery cloth, and polyformaldehyde were used as the second member of the friction pair. The values of the coefficients of friction, temperatures and performance limits for polyformaldehyde are compared with those for polycaprolactam.All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Railroad Transport, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 850–856, September–October, 1969.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the tensile strength of polymer materials

The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the tensile strength of amorphous, crystalline, and thermosetting polymers has been investigated. The maximum hydrostatic pressure was 2000 kgf/cm². The surfaces of some specimens were protected from the ambient medium (oil). The tests showed that hydrostatic pressure improves the strength or high-elastic limit and Young's modulus of all the materials investigated. In the case of brittle materials, the increase in strength is greater if the surface is protected, whereupon the plasticity is also improved. Hydrostatic pressure produces important changes in the deformation behavior of crystalline polymers.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 1043–1047, 1967     

Electron-microscope study of cellulose and Capron fibers with different strenghts

Oriented polymer fibers whose strengths differ by a factor of two have been subjected to an electron-microscope study. Both cellulose (=40 and 75 kgf/mm²) and Capron (=80 and 170 kgf/mm²) fiber were investigated. Specimens were obtained by ultrasonic dispersion followed by negative contrasting of the dispersion products with FVK solution. It is shown that there is no correlation between the transverse dimensions of the microfibrils and the strength of the investigated fibers.Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 364–366, March–April, 1971.     

Creep of fluoroplastic in shear with application of hydrostatic pressure

Conclusions 1. It has been shown that under a deformation regime with Vxy = const, with an increase in shear deformation the effect of the action of hydrostatic pressure rises. A considerable effect of pressure on the character of the shear diagram is observed in the pressure region above 500 kgf/cm².Paper presented at the Third All-Union Conference on Polymer Mechanics in Riga, 1976.Leningrad Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. Okhtinsk Scientific-Manufacturing Union Plastpolimer Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 812–818, September–October, 1977.     

Strength of glass laminates at low temperatures and high strain rates

The tensile strengths of glass laminates of various compositions under standard, high-speed and impact loading have been experimentally investigated in relation to the effect of low-temperature and stress raisers. As the loading rate increases (from 0.7 to 253 · 10³ kgf/cm². · sec) and the temperature falls to –196° C, the effective stress concentration coefficient decreases, which indicates that the glass laminates will perform adequately under these conditions.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 836–841, September–October, 1970.     

Failure of water-filled cylindrical glass-reinforced epoxy shells under internal impulsive loading

Conclusions 1. The explosive failure of water-filled, geometrically similar glass-reinforced epoxy shells, whose dimensions increase by a factor of 1.5–4.4, is not associated with an energetic scale effect. This is attributable to the imperfect similarity of the shells, since although their dimensions changed, the diameter of the glass reinforcing fibers remained the same.2. The relative mass of explosive required to fracture the shells is approximately 0.4%. With respect to this index, glass-reinforced epoxy is comparable to structural steels 20 and 17Mn1Si at R₀160 mm.3. The circumferential deformation of the shells at failure is about 4% and does not depend on the thickness of the shell wall, the dimensions of geometrically similar shells, or the initial strain rate on the interval 0.21 · 10³–1.2 · 10³ sec^–1. Thin-walled shells begin to fail from the outside surface, thick-walled shells from the inside surface.4. The modulus of elasticity of the GRE is 2.4 · 10⁵ kgf/cm² and does not depend on the strain rate on the interval 10^–3–1.5 · 10³ sec^–1. The material deforms elastically up to failure.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 283–289, March–April, 1978.     

Residual stress distribution in different types of adhesion joints

The results of a photoelastic investigation of the distributions of shrinkage and temperature residual stresses in glued joints and coatings are compared. The degree of nonuniformity of the residual stress distribution over the length and thickness is determined as a function of the scale factor. It is shown that the bulk of the residual stresses in metal joints glued with K-115 epoxy adhesive are temperature stresses, which may reach 130 kgf/cm². The shrinkage and temperature residual stress distributions are similar in character.Kucherenko Central Scientific-Research Institute of Building Structures. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 738–742, July–August, 1971.     

Effect of the molecular weight of polystyrene on the viscosity of concentrated solutions

The viscosity of solutions of polystyrene of various molecular weights (from 1.04 · 10² to 3.8 · 10⁵) in a poor solvent (decalin) and a good solvent (ethylbenzene) has been measured at temperatures from 15 to 70°C over a broad range of shear stresses from 10² to 10⁶ dyne/cm². The nature of the solvent has a considerable influence on the critical molecular weight and the absolute value of the viscosities of the solutions over the entire range of molecular weights and on the form of the flow curves of decalin solutions of polystyrene as a function of temperature. The heat of activation of viscous flow increases with increase in molecular weight and shear stress on the interval 20–80°C. The results obtained are explained in terms of the effect of the molecular weight of the polymer, the nature of the solvent, stress and temperature on structure formation in the solution and on the orientation of the macromolecules and structures in the flow process.Ural Gor'kii State University, Sverdlovsk. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 920–926, September–October, 1970.     

Study of the role of intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonds) in the initial stage of orientation of polyvinyl alcohol and vinyl alcohol copolymers

The effect of hydrogen bond rupture on the process of destruction of the starting crystallite structure of polyvinyl alcohol and copolymers of vinyl alcohol and N-vinylpyrrolidone and -vinylcaprolactam has been investigated. The differential spectrum method is used to establish the frequency (3200 cm^–1) of the band corresponding to the vibrations of the bound hydroxyl groups; the temperature dependence of the optical density of the 3200 cm^–1 band has been recorded. The strength of the starting structure is calculated from the stress-strain diagram and its temperature dependence is plotted. It is concluded that the strength of the starting structure is chiefly determined by the presence of hydrogen bonds between the polymer macromolecules.Leningrad Kirov Institute of Textile and Light Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 327–329, March–April, 1971.     

Effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction for high-elastic materials

The problem of the effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction is examined for rubbers based on SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40. In the temperature range from 18°–100°C the force of friction for these rubbers falls linearly with increase in temperature. The effect of loads up to 10⁷N/cm² on the temperature dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40 rubbers reduces to a change in the real contact area or an increase in the temperature dependence with increase in load.The velocity dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18 rubber reveals a weak dependence of the activation energy and the average "jump distance" of the molecular chains on specific load. In the low-velocity region the force of friction depends linearly on the logarithm of velocity, at velocities above 0.44 cm/min and pressures of 30×10⁵ N/cm² the force of friction increases sharply due to an increase in uncontrolled heating of the friction surfaces.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 123–129, 1965     

Kinematic approach to the description of autowave processes in active media

The kinematic approach formulated in the paper is very general. The main results obtained above also remain valid for active media of a more complicated nature than the simple ones described by Eqs. (1). To construct the kinematic theory, it is necessary to know only a few phenomenological parameters such as the propagation velocity of a plane front and the critical curvature. In principle, these parameters can be calculated using the particular equations of the active medium, for example, (1).The value of the phenomenological parameters for an active medium can also be obtained experimentally. For example, for a medium with the Belousov-Zhabotinskii chemical reaction [1] the propagation velocity of a plane front is V₀=2–3 mm/min, D is the diffusion coefficient for the solution and equal to D=1.8·10^–5 cm²/sec, and the rotation frequency is =5 min^–1. Then, as follows from (16), the critical curvature at the free end must be 70 cm^–1, in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Changes in the mechanical properties of human coronary arteries with age

Conclusions We were the first to experimentally find that the greatest changes in E₂, E_2(K) ^tan, _2(K), and W_(K) of the human cardial coronary arteries are observed in people who have reached the age of 40 years. To compare the experimental data, all the parameters of the mechanical properties of the coronary arteries were determined at one and the same stress level — 0.01 kgf/mm², which on an average corresponds to an increased intravascular pressure of within 200 to 240 mm Hg. Under elinical conditions, this pressure is considered critical for arterial vessels affected by atherosclerosis. The most marked shifts in the changes of the mechanical properties were found in the superior part of the left coronary artery. At the age of 40, a considerable decrease in the deformability of the arterial walls in the circular direction is observed, and the walls become more rigid. At the same time, the vessel wall becomes thicker, especially because of increase in its internal layer — the intima. All this facilitates the development of intravascular thrombosis in people suffering from coronary sclerosis and leads to the development of acute stenosis, frequently exceeding 75% of the clearance area of the vessel, or to a complete obstruction of the superior part of the left coronary artery. If the inferior part of this vessel still retains a fair deformability, it is possible to perform a reconstructive operation, by means of which normal blood circulation is restored from the initial part of the ascending aorta to the inferior section of the corresponding coronary artery. From the experimentally found characteristics of the mechanical properties of the inferior parts of coronary vessels, we can select the best autoplastic material — a vessel segment derived from the patient himself — with properties similar to those of the affected vessel, which ensures the successful performance of such an operation, namely, the reconstruction of the human coronary vessels.Lecture delivered at the Third All-Union Conference on Polymer Mechanics, Riga, November 10–12, 1976.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2,, pp. 277–282, March–April, 1977.     

Stress on the interatomic bonds near the surface of a polymer

The stresses on the interatomic bonds in the interior and at the surface of polyethylene terephthalate film in uniaxial tension have been determined by means of infrared transmission and reflection spectroscopy. The stresses are found using the shift in the frequency of the atomic vibrations produced by the application of a mechanical load. It is shown that the stresses on some bonds in the specimen reach 700 kgf/mm², i.e., approach their theoretical strength. The concentration of these bonds in a surface layer 1 µ thick is approximately an order greater than the concentration in the interior of the specimen.A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 512–514, May–June, 1976.