Calculation of the Viscosity of Polymer Melts Based on Measurements of the Recovered Rubber-Like Deformation

On the basis of a model of polymer flow, considering the forces of entropic elasticity of extended macromolecules within the Eyring's concept, the relationships between the shear rate, shear stress, viscosity, and recovered rubber-like deformation were derived. The reduction of activation energy of the flow, by an amount proportional to the recovered rubber-like deformation, leads to an exponential decrease of viscosity with increasing shear rates; this nonlinear dependence of viscosity on shear rate (and shear stress) is defined as the viscosity anomaly of polymers. The measurement of deformation recovery after the cessation of polymer flow in the mode of constant shear rate or shear stress on a rotational viscometer confirmed the validity of the theoretical dependences.