Method of thermomechanical characteristics as a means of studying crosslinking and degradation processes in multicomponent polymer systems

A method of obtaining and interpreting thermomechanical curves has been developed to facilitate the study of crosslinking and degradation processes in multicomponent polymer systems. The method is highly sensitive and makes it possible to study on small specimens a variety of structural changes governed by the nature of the polymer, by the macrostructure of the test pieces, by the mixture composition, and by the action of various external factors. It is also shown that the thermomechanical characteristics can conveniently be used as a criterion for evaluating working properties (e.g., heat resistance, etc.).Mekhanika Polimerov. Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 387–391, 1967