Environmental stress cracking of glassy polymers and solubility parameters

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47 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The use of solubility parameters to predict critical stress (σc*) or strains (e{open}c) for environmental cracking/crazing in several glassy polymers (e.g. PMMA, PPO, PS, PVC, PSF and PC) is re-examined. It is shown that the enthalpic component (χH) of the Flory-Huggins semi-interaction parameter (χ) does not always give a good correlation between e{open}c and χH even though solvent molar volume and polymer-solvent molecular interactions have already been considered. Re-analysis of available experimental data using Gent's theory shows that there is a general trend for σc* (or e{open}c) to increase with χ. These results, therefore, support Gent's proposed mechanism of environmental stress crazing/cracking. It is finally concluded that unless a definite relationship can be established between e{open}c or σc* with χH it is not possible to predict a priori e{open}c or σc*, given the empirical solubility parameters of a solvent. Unfortunately, there are not many such relationships as discovered in this paper.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)904-916
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Materials Science
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 1986
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Materials Science (miscellaneous)
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Polymers and Plastics

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