| Abstract: | The deformation of polyethylene in terms of structural processes has been investigated by low-and wide-angle x-ray diffraction in the case of low-density and, to a lesser extent, high-density polyethylene. The samples possessed a range of simple textures which enabled the deformation processes to be identified. The results are interpreted in terms of a model of stacks of lamellae which have axes along the original draw direction and which deform by lamellar slip, chain slip, and lamellar separation. In most cases these processes accounted for the macroscopic strain but in some cases discrepancies were observed which could be accounted for by inhomogeneous deformation or by the effects of a distribution of lamellar thicknesses. Attempts were made to identify fibrillar slip, without success. The relative contributions of the various deformation processes are examined as a function of temperature and sample treatment by defining a compliance constant for each process. Below room temperature, the results are consistent with expectations based on the α and β mechanical relaxations, whereas the unusual effects at high temperatures are attributed to gradual melting. The compliance constants are also found to depend on the annealing temperature of the sample, and are used to predict the mechanical anisotropy. The volume changes accompanying lamellar separation are examined. They were less than expected in low-density polyethylene, but satisfactory agreement was obtained in high-density polyethylene. A general relation is suggested between volume changes and the lateral development of the lamellae. Hence in narrow lamellae the interlamellar layer can contract laterally whereas the greater constraints imposed by wide lamellae lead to void formation. Other effects examined include the reversibility of the processes which is most marked in the case of chain slip and which is explained by the presence of restoring forces in the amorphous regions including the fold surface. Finally, the differences between low- and highdensity polyethylene are highlighted, emphasizing the part played in the deformation by the amorphous component. |
