화학공학소재연구정보센터
Polymer, Vol.43, No.18, 4979-4987, 2002
Plastic deformation and physical ageing in PMMA
Ageing and rejuvenation of PMMA are investigated just above T-beta and just below T-g by means of tensile creep experiments, in the nonlinear range, i.e. for high stress levels. The molecular mobility is probed using torsional microcreep. Rejuvenation is induced by tensile Struik's 'type II' experiments, i.e. long-term ones. It is shown that, at low temperature, creep induces rejuvenation due to anelastic (or reversible) deformation, and so does recovery after the load removal. When the creep (or recovery) rate becomes very low, ageing proceeds at the same rate as natural ageing does. At high temperature, plasticity occurs and represents the main cause for rejuvenation that is no more reversible. In this case, plasticity seems to have a very significant influence on the thermodynamic equilibrium state reached after full ageing. These observations are finally interpreted in terms of microstructural mechanisms of deformation.