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Statistical Damage Mechanics of Polymer Networks
Franck J Vernerey1,2, Roberto Brighenti3, Rong Long1,2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Macromolecules
|September 24, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a micromechanical model for polymers, linking macroscopic behavior to microscale physics. It tracks polymer chain configurations and damage, offering a physics-based approach for materials science.
Area of Science:
- Polymer science and materials science
- Statistical mechanics and continuum mechanics
Background:
- Macroscopic polymer mechanical properties arise from microscale network physics.
- Statistical approaches are key to describing polymer chain configurations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a micromechanical model for predicting polymer macroscopic behavior.
- To capture the evolution of polymer chain configurations and network statistics.
- To incorporate damage mechanisms like chain scission and hysteresis.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a statistical approach to model polymer chain configurations.
- Tracking the distribution function of end-to-end distances in network chains.
- Evaluating chain scission probability within the configuration space to model damage.
Main Results:
- The model successfully links microscale chain physics to macroscopic polymer response.
- It accurately captures softening and hysteresis under cyclic loading via chain scission.
- The framework accommodates dynamic polymer networks with reversible cross-links.
Conclusions:
- The developed micromechanical model provides a general, physics-based framework for polymer analysis.
- It offers insights into polymer deformation, damage, and the behavior of dynamic networks.
- This approach advances the understanding and prediction of polymer-like material mechanics.
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