Vibrocreep of polymer materials

The vibrocreep of low-density polyethylene (LDP) in uniaxial tension has been investigated in the presence of vibration in the direction of action of the constant load. The material was deformed under nonisothermal conditions owing to heating caused by the dissipation of vibrational energy. Superimposing vibrations leads to a considerable increase in creep rate. It is shown that this increase can not be explained solely in terms of the rise in temperature due to heating of the material; there is also a dynamic creep acceleration effect. Avariant of the vibrocreep approximation with allowance for the dynamic and temperature creep acceleration effects is proposed.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 413–420, 1968     

Vibrocreep of polymeric materials

Experimental data on the static and vibrational creep of rigid porous polyurethane are used in an analysis of the time dependence of the vibrocreep coefficient and its dependence on the derivative of the stresses created by the incremental vibrational load and the static stress level. It is shown that at a constant value of the static stresses and the incremental vibrational load the vibrocreep coefficient decreases with time and in long-time vibrocreep tends to unity. As the parameter characterizing the vibrocreep coefficient for a given moment of time it is possible to employ the amplitude of the dynamic stress rate. The dependence proposed for describing the vibrocreep coefficient curves satisfactorily describes the experimental data. It is shown that the value of the vibrocreep coefficient does not depend on the static stress level (up to 0.5 of the short-time strength).For Communication 5, see [9].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 643–647, July–August, 1970.     

Cyclic Creep of Polymers and Polymer-Matrix Composites

The paper provides a state-of-the-art review of the current understanding regarding the long-term response of polymer-matrix composites subjected to cyclic loading conditions. Typically, under such conditions, the behavior of polymeric systems is characterized by much higher creep rates than those observed in the cases of static loading. In this paper, research accomplishments in the subject area are discussed. New experimental results are presented regarding the cyclic-creep response of a composite system consisting of a thin-film piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with thin metallic layers deposited on both surfaces of the polymer. This composite was tested under the conditions of tensile static stresses with superimposed sinusoidal oscillations. As a result, considerable acceleration of creep rates has been recorded as the mean stresses, vibration amplitudes, and frequencies of oscillations tended to increase. These effects were observed even within the linear viscoelastic deformation range at room temperature; however, the acceleration of cyclic-creep rates tended to decrease below the freezing temperature. In general, as indicated in the conclusion, the problem of cyclic creep in polymeric systems is far from being well understood and requires further studies.     

Creep and damage accumulation in orthotropic composites under cyclic loading

Experimental results and theoretical prediction of the response of glassfiber-reinforced polyester under quasi-static, static (creep), and cyclic (fatigue) loading are presented. The nonlinear strain component at static loading and the strain amplitude rate at cyclic off-axis loading of an orthotropic composite are shown to follow the associated flow rule with a single-parameter quadratic potential function. The influence of fatigue damage on deformation is considerable due to the reduction in the elastic modulus of the composite and is apparently negligible with respect to its effect on the parameters of the creep kernel.Presented at the 10th International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, April 20–23, 1998).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 447–460, July–August, 1998.     

On the stress distribution in a rectangular thick plate of a composite material with curved structure under forced vibration

The stress distribution in a rectangular plate of a multilayer composite material with a periodically curved structure under forced vibration is studied. It is assumed that the plate is hinge supported at opposite sides. The investigation is carried out within the exact three-dimensional linear theory of elasticity. The mechanical relationships of the plate material are described by the continuum theory of Akbarov and Guz'. The numerical results obtained by the finite element method show that even in low-frequency dynamic loading of the plate the extreme values of stresses, which appear as a result of the curving in the plate structure, considerably exceed those in the corresponding static loading.Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 447–454, July–August, 1999.     

Multiparameter prediction of polymer creep

An investigation of the thermocreep of low-density polyethylene (LDP) and the vibrocreep of porous polyurethane (PPU) in complex states of stress has shown that multiparameter creep prediction based on the combined application of the time-stress, time-temperature, and time-vibration superposition principles can be used for rapid analysis of the nonlinear viscoelasticity and thermovibrocreep of polymeric materials under complex loading.For communication 1 see [1].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 416–420, May–June, 1971.     

Effects of temperature and moisture on the mechanical properties of polyester resin in tension

The effect of environment on the physical and mechanical properties of composite materials in some cases is determined by the environmental sensitivity of the binder. The results of experimental investigation of the deformability and strength of polyester resin, widely used as a binder in composites, upon the action of stationary and quasi-stationary loads, temperatures, and moisture are presented. The ranges of acceptable values of these services factors are determined. The elastic modulus and tensile strength of the material are obtained from quasi-static tests. The viscoelastic behavior of the resin is investigated in creep tests. From the results of a short-term experiment with stepwise loading up to failure, it is found that the creep of specimens with a moisture content of 0.14% can be described by a linear viscoelastic model for stresses up to 20 MPa (two thirds of the strength). The action of single loading impulses is summarized according to the Boltzmann superposition principle. The temperature and absorbed moisture are considered as factors accelerating the relaxation processes in the material. The creep activation under the action of these factors is described using the methods of time-temperature and time-moisture equivalence. The results of short-term creep tests allow us to determine the relaxation characteristics of the material in stationary conditions. The long-term creep under close-to-service conditions is predicted using these data and quite good agreement with the control test is obtained. The sensitivity of the material characteristics (strength, elastic modulus, and creep strain) to the action of temperature and moisture is estimated. The creep strain is most sensitive to the action of environmental factors. For a fully saturated material (moisture content 1.64 wt.%), after one hour creep, this strain four times exceeds that of a dry one. The same growth in deformability is caused by an 18°C increase in temperature. A quantitative comparison of the characteristics of polyester and epoxy resins allows us to choose the binder for composites and to estimate the expected environmental effect. Presented at the 11th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, June 11–15, 2000). Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 395–406, May–June, 2000.     

Creep of polymer materials under periodically varying loads

A method is proposed for constructing the creep curves of a material whose nonlinear memory properties are described by Rozovskii's nonlinear integral equation [2] (with allowance for the stress dependence of the relaxation time) under given periodic loading from known creep curves recorded at constant stress. In deriving the theoretical relation certain simplifying assumptions are made (the creep strain accumulated in 1–2 cycles is small, no vibration [4–6]). An experimental check shows that the proposed method can be used to predict the behavior of a material under periodic loading with an accuracy sufficient for practical purposes.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 330–336, 1966     

High-Temperature Creep of Fibrous Metal-Matrix Composites under Varying Stresses

The present paper is aimed at testing the hypothesis about the failure of the relatively weak fiber/matrix interface under cyclic loading, which causes an increase in the steady-state creep rate. The hypothesis is tested qualitatively by comparing the creep behavior of composite specimens with various interface strengths under the conditions mentioned (loading-unloading-loading to the original level). The hypothesis is tested semi-quantitatively by estimating the interface strength in relation to the action decreasing the strength. The latter requires the use of a microstructural calculation model. Both the approaches are used in the paper, and the results found support this hypothesis. The experimental data obtained are an additional argument for the necessity of developing metal-matrix composites with a strong interface, which can be a basis for real creep-resistant high-temperature composites.     

Thermomechanical and optical properties of Makrolon

The thermomechanical and optical properties, short-time creep, recovery, vibrocreep, and the relaxation behavior of Makrolon have been experimentally investigated.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 46–53, 1967     

Vibrocreep in polymers. I. Review

Research into certain aspects of the vibrocreep of structural materials, including metals, concrete, and polymers, is briefly reviewed. It is shown that new experimental data must be accumulated if the present theories describing "vibration effects" in polymer materials are to be improved and their areas of applicability expanded.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 34–44, 1968     

Vibrational creep of polymeric materials

An experimental study of the effect of vibration on the creep process has been carried out in the case of the rigid porous polyurethane PPU-3, as a function of the magnitude of the vibrational loading and the level of basic static stresses. It has been shown that with increase in the velocity amplitude of the dynamic stresses, the creep process is accelerated, without being accompanied thereupon by vibrational heating of the material. The possibility has been established of approximating vibrational creep curves by the integral equation of Volterra, using a discrete series of relaxation times transformed by the vibro-time analogy method.For Communication No. 3, see [1].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 223–232, March–April, 1970.     

Hereditary theory of creep and low-cycle fatigue of polymeric materials

The results of an investigation of the creep of polymethyl methacrylate under alternating loading and recovery are presented. The experiments ended in the failure of the specimen. The creep data obtained are described on the basis of the nonlinear Boltzmann-Persoz theory and Bryzgalin's theory of hereditary recovery. Korabel'nikov's result, according to which for alternating loading and recovery the total time under load up to failure is less than the static life of the polymer, is confirmed.Institute of Problems of Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow; Scientific-Research Institute of Mechanics, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 615–621, July–August, 1970.     

Creep of polymer concrete in the nonlinear region

Two polyester-based polymer concretes with various volume content of diabase as an extender and aggregate are tested in creep under compression at different stress levels. The phenomenological and structural approaches are both used to analyze the experimental data. Common features of changes in the instantaneous and creep compliances are clarified, and a phenomenological creep model which accounts for the changes in the instantaneous compliance and in the retardation spectrum depending on the stress level is developed. It is shown that the model can be used to describe the experimental results of stress relaxation and creep under repeated loading. Modeling of the composite structure and subsequent solution of the optimization problem confirm the possibility of the existence of an interphase layer more compliant than the binder. A direct correlation between the interphase volume content and the instantaneous compliance of the composite is revealed. It is found that the distinction in nonlinearity of the viscoelastic behavior of the two polymer concretes under investigation can be due to the difference in their porosity. Submitted to the 11th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, June 11–15, 2000.) Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 147–164, 2000.     

Deformation of cylindrical composite shells under combined dynamic loading

Conclusions A procedure has been shown for calculating the stress-strain state of cylindrical multilayer shells made from composite materials under the combined action of dynamic axial compression and dynamic external pressure, as well as with different variants of combined loading with static and dynamic forces. An investigation has been made of the effect on the mode of the buckled shell surface of the ratio of the application rate of dynamic loads; ranges of loading rates have been established in which stresses predominate caused either by axial compression or external pressure. It has been shown that, as a result of preliminary static loading, a marked change occurs in the initial imperfections of the shell mode which affects subsequent dynamic buckling. To calculate the time when the first defect occurs and its location in the shell body, a procedure has been devised for layer-by-layer strength analysis employing a tensor-polynomial criterion. It was demonstrated that the level of preliminary static loading noticeably affects the time until the first failure of the layer, not only a reduction of this time being possible with an increase in the static loads, but also an increase in it.We should also point out the work in [10] where it is shown that it is possible to weaken the susceptibility of the shell to initial imperfections when internal pressure is applied.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 3, pp. 461–473, May–June, 1981.     

Multifibre polymer composites: Prediction of deformation and thermophysical properties

Conclusions A theoretical and experimental investigation was carried out to examine the possibilities of a structural approach for prediction of elastic constants, creep functions and thermophysical characteristics of hybrid polymer composites reinforced with anisotropic fibres of several types. The theoretical solutions were obtained by generalizing the self-consistent method for the case of a three phase model. The effects of brittle fibre breakdown under tension in the direction of reinforcement of a unidirectional hybrid composite were studied under conditions of a short-term loading and a long-term creep. It has been shown that a creep of viscoelastic fibres plays a principal role in creep of the hybrid composite. It is just this creep that significantly increases the fibre damage during creep of the composite.A variant of the solution has been proposed for predicting the thermorheologically complex behavior of hybrid composites containing not only elastic but also viscoelastic thermorheologically simple components with different temperature-time shift factors. The peculiarities of thermal expansion of hybrid composites and the possibilities for a purposeful control of thermal expansion coefficients by hybridization were studied. The considered thermal interval included a region of transition of the polymer matrix from a glass state into a viscoelastic one.The control tests were performed for specimens of organic/glass, organic/carbon, glass/carbon and organic/boron polymer composites with different ratios of fibre volume contents. On the whole, the obtained accuracy of predicting the characteristics of the examined hybrid composites may be considered as acceptable for engineering applications.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 299–313, May–June, 1994.     

Structural elastic and creep models of a UD composite in longitudinal shear

The transient creep of a UD composite with a quadratic arrangement of elastic fibers of quadratic cross section is investigated. The deformational properties of the composite are determined from the known properties of its constituents. A structural model of the UD composite is developed, whose minimal elementary cell contains four elements. The stress-strain state of the elements is assumed homogeneous. Two types of basic and resolving governing equations of transient creep are deduced, which are based on static or kinematic assumptions. In each of the cases, a formula for the longitudinal elastic shear modulus of the composite is found. The stationary solutions of creep equations allow one to obtain formulas of the steady-state creep of the composite in a form similar to Norton’s law. Numerical calculations are also performed, and a comparison of the results with data given in the literature bears witness to the efficiency of the models developed and the solutions obtained. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 437–448, July–August, 2007.     

Viscoelastic properties of a silica-filled styrene-butadiene rubber under uniaxial tension

A model composite — a silica-filled styrene-butadiene rubber with a various filler volume content — was tested for creep and creep recovery at different tensile load levels to evaluate the effect of viscoelasticity on the deformational properties of filled rubbers. A constitutive equation describing the diagram of equilibrium deformation of the composite in quasi-static loading was obtained from an analysis of creep test results. The equation was common for the filled rubber at different filler content. The existence of such a curve has been confirmed by experimental unloading diagrams registered in cyclic loading-unloading tests. It is shown that the phenomenological equations obtained from an analysis of creep recovery test results can be used successfully for describing the hysteresis loops of second and subsequent cycles for cyclic tests with a constant maximum stretch ratio.     

The Effect of Structural Curvings on the Stress Distribution in a Rigidly Fixed Composite Plate under Forced Vibration

Based on the exact three-dimensional equations of continuum mechanics and the Akbarov-Guz' continuum theory, the problem on forced vibrations of a rectangular plate made of a composite material with a periodically curved structure is formulated. The plate is rigidly fixed along the Ox ₁ axis. Using the semi-analytic method of finite elements, a numerical procedure is elaborated for investigating this problem. The numerical results on the effect of structural curvings on the stress distribution in the plate under forced vibrations are analyzed. It is shown that the disturbances of the stress ₂₂ in a hinge-supported plate are greater than in a rigidly fixed one. Also, it is found that the structural curvings considerably affect the stress distribution in plates both under static and dynamic loading.