| Abstract: | A model for flow-induced crystallization is developed which is based on ideas from the theory of strain-induced crystallization, coupled with an irreversible thermodynamic formalism based on the continuum Hamiltonian Poisson Brackets. The latter allows accounting for the changing energetics during simultaneous flow deformation and extended-chain crystallization. Input parameters to the model include the molecular relaxation time, a crystallization parameter, and the molecular weight. Calculations of the crystallization rate, chain elongation, stress, and birefringence are presented for a variety of flow kinematics and flow histories, including transient processes following cessation of flow. Induction times based on a reasonable choice for the induction crystallinity follow experimentally observed trends reported in the literature. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
