Phenomenological nonlinear modelling of glassy polymers

Compared with the numerous works into the constitutive equations for the mechanical behaviour of metals, very little attention has been devoted to those of polymers. However, a model is required to describe both the complex shape of the stress–strain curves and strain rate sensitivity of glassy polymers. In this Note, a unified viscoelastic-viscoplastic model is presented in which the nonlinear pre-yield behaviour, the strain softening and the strain hardening are described by internal variables, in analogy with the models developed for metals. In order to check the predictive capability of the model, the numerical results are compared with the experimental data (monotone, creep and relaxation tests) of a typical amorphous glassy polymer. To cite this article: F. Zaïri et al., C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).