Polymer creep in a static magnetic field

By noting changes in the color of samples in a polarization microscope with varying degree of birefringence, the effect of a weak static magnetic fields (2 and 4 kOe) on molecules of glassy polymers has been observed. Variations in the nonmonotonicity of the rate of discontinuous creep at +18° were studied interferometrically. It is shown that the abruptness of the deformation jumps varies in a magnetic field, where this abruptness is assumed to be due to the existence of strong physical junctions between the kinetic units of deformation. The reactivity of the polymers to the magnetic field stands in satisfactory correspondence with their magnetic susceptibilities. Results show that such nonmagnetic materials as glassy polymers can noticeably alter their deformational properties in response to the action of magnetic fields. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1690–1692 (September 1997)     

Low-temperature plasticity in nanocrystalline titanium and copper

The stress-strain compressive curves, temperature dependences of the yield stress, and small-inelastic-strain rate spectra of coarse-grained and ultrafine-grained (produced by equal-channel angular pressing) titanium and copper are compared in the temperature range 4.2–300 K. As the temperature decreases, copper undergoes mainly strain hardening and titanium undergoes thermal hardening. The temperature dependences of the yield stress of titanium and copper have specific features which correlate with the behavior of their small-inelastic-strain rate spectra. Under the same loading conditions, the rate of microplastic deformation of ultrafine-grained titanium is lower than that of coarse-grained titanium and the rate peaks shift toward high temperatures. The deformation activation volumes of titanium samples differing in terms of their grain size are (10–35)b ³, where b is the Burgers vector magnitude. The dependences of the yield stress on the grain size at various temperatures are satisfactorily described by the Hall-Petch relation.     

Nanoscale deformation irregularities of γ-irradiated poly(methyl methacrylate)

Development of deformation jumps in the creep of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been studied. The structural levels of deformation have been determined from the creep rate oscillation periods (deformation jumps) measured by the interferometric method. Special attention is given to a new method of data processing, which enables one to reveal previously undetectable nanoscale deformation jumps. By the example of PMMA specimens preliminarily exposed to γ radiation with doses D=55–330 kGy and unexposed specimens, the presence of nanoscale deformation jumps with the values dependent on the dose D and time of creep has been shown. The obtained results confirm the existence of 10–20-nm domains in amorphous polymers and make it possible to study the multilevel organization of the deformation process, starting from the nanoscale.     

Magnetoplastic effect in NaNO2 ferroelectric crystals

This paper reports on a laser interferometric study of the effect of a dc magnetic field (MF) on the rate of plastic deformation (creep) $\dot \varepsilon$ of NaNO₂ ferroelectric crystals under compression. It is established that the application of a dc MF to a loaded specimen results in an increase in the creep rate and that removal of the MF brings about a decrease in $\dot \varepsilon$ . Subjecting an unloaded specimen to a dc MF beforehand also affects its strain rate under the subsequent loading. The observed magnetoplastic effect is most clearly pronounced within a certain $\dot \varepsilon$ interval, and the magnitude of this effect for the NaNO₂ ferroelectric is several times larger than that for LiF crystals.     

Creep rate spectroscopy: High-resolution analysis of relaxations and prediction of anomalies in mechanical behavior of solids

An original laser-interferometric creep rate spectroscopy method was applied to analysis of molecular motion in some polymers, composites and interpenetrating polymer networks. Its potentials for study of nanoscale dynamic/compositional heterogeneity in complex systems, of a peculiar relaxation behavior of polymer binder in composites, and for prediction of temperature anomalies in strength are demonstrated.     

Durability of polymers subjected to stretching and twisting

The durability upon subjection to stretching and twisting is compared for polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene, and ebonite in the temperature range from ?196° to 50°C. It was shown that to an accuracy of ±10%, the maximum tensile stress may be considered responsible for decomposition.     

Effect of molecular mobility,state of stress,orientation, and plasticization on the temperature dependence of the mechanical properties of linear polymers

The temperature dependence of the breaking stress and ultimate creep strain has been investigated in relation to preorientation, plasticization, and state of stress for polymethyl methacrylate, high-pressure polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl alcohol. The results of the mechanical tests are compared with the NMR data on the molecular mobility. The causes of the observed effects are discussed.Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 30–35, January–February, 1971.     

Micro- and nanoscale instabilities of deformation in polymers

The rate and magnitude of the deformation in polymers under constant compressive stresses at room temperature have been measured. The use of laser interferometer has made it possible to perform measurements at small intervals of variations in the specimen length Δl = 0.325 μm, and the analysis of the form of beats has made it possible to estimate oscillations of the strain rate in nanoscale displacements. It has been shown that the average strain rate of polymers continuously varies and no creeping interval with a constant rate is observed. At all stages of smooth variations in the average rate, jumps of its current values corresponding to Δl from several nanometers to a hundred and more nanometers have been found. Changes in the structure with an increase in the deformation manifest themselves in an increase in the size of nanoscale jumps and in a complication of their shape.