Constituent analysis of stress memory in semicrystalline polyurethane

Abstract

ABSTRACTSimilar to shape memory, the stress in a stimulus responsive polymer can also be programmed, stored, and retrieved reversibly upon an external stimulus, and known as stress memory. Herein, the stress analysis in a semicrystalline polyurethane is investigated to unveil the total stress–strain components of the memory polymer. The evolution of stress under different temperature and strain levels is determined experimentally. A constitutive model based on phase transition was further used to predict and characterize the individual stress components during the thermomechanical process. In contrast to earlier models, a new approach of using relaxed modulus (RM) has been proposed to predict the stress components in tensile programming condition. The predicted results are having significant agreement with the experimental data. The quantitative stress analysis can help in engineering the products more precisely, where the controllable stimulus responsive stress is needed in multidisciplinary arenas such as pressure garments, massage devices, and artificial muscles etc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 941–947