Abstract
Soft polymer materials are often used in shock absorption, cushioning, and so on. During the design and development process, determining the mechanical behavior and constitutive properties under static and dynamic loads is important to improve product performance. This study aims to analyze the static mechanical performance of polyvinyl chloride elastomers with different Shore hardness levels. Static and dynamic mechanical performance experiments with loading strain rates of 0.1, 1650, 2000, and 2700 s−1 were performed in polyvinyl chloride elastomers (57A, 52A, and 47A) using an electronic dynamic and static fatigue tester and an improved Split Hopkinson pressure bar. Microstructures were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the addition of plasticizers to polyvinyl chloride promoted the crystallization of the polymer. The presence of plasticizer in the crystal also reduced crystallization. The material plasticity, elastic modulus, yield stress, and flow stress increase with increasing hardness/strain rate, whereas the hardness decreases. The mechanical behavior of polyvinyl chloride elastomers under static and dynamic loads exhibited superelastic and viscoelastic characteristics, respectively. The Mooney–Rivlin, Neo–Hookean, and Yeoh models were selected for the superelastic constitutive model, whereas the Zhu–Wang–Tang model was used for the viscoelastic one. Finally, the applicability of the model was explained. This study can provide theoretical model and method support for the design and development of soft polymer materials.
Highlights
IntroductionSoft polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elastomers, are widely used in military,[1] automobile,[2] marine,[3] aviation,[4] electronic,[5] and other industries (e.g. car crash dummies test,[6] aviation bearing buffer packaging,[7] domestic water pipes,[8] etc.) due to their low production cost, light weight, good impact resistance, and other advantages
Soft polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elastomers, are widely used in military,[1] automobile,[2] marine,[3] aviation,[4] electronic,[5] and other industries due to their low production cost, light weight, good impact resistance, and other advantages
Experiment on static and dynamic mechanical performance found that (1) the elastic modulus and yield strength of polymers exhibit a significant strain rate effect[27]; (2) the stress–strain curves under quasi-static and dynamic conditions are susceptible to temperature[28]; (3) the compression behavior at high strain rate is aligned with the Zhu–Wang–Tang (ZWT) constitutive model, which can be used to reflect the compression response of the polymer at different strain rates.[29]
Summary
Soft polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elastomers, are widely used in military,[1] automobile,[2] marine,[3] aviation,[4] electronic,[5] and other industries (e.g. car crash dummies test,[6] aviation bearing buffer packaging,[7] domestic water pipes,[8] etc.) due to their low production cost, light weight, good impact resistance, and other advantages. Engineers and technical professionals have developed process optimization and micro-organization analysis for polymer products. Advances in Mechanical Engineering microstructure of the polymer, which indefinitely affects the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the material[11]; studying the relationship between the static and dynamic mechanical performance and micro-organization analysis will be of great importance to the design and development of polymer materials. Test devices, such as universal testing machines and Split Hopkinson pressure bars (SHPBs), have been used to test the static and dynamic performance of polycarbonate/methyl acrylate blend,[12] polyester matrix,[13] polyurethane elastomer,[14] three-dimensional (3D) printing polymer,[15] polymethyl methacrylate,[16] polytetrafluoroethylene,[17] gelatin,[18] polyuria,[19] and other polymer materials. Experiment on static and dynamic mechanical performance found that (1) the elastic modulus and yield strength of polymers exhibit a significant strain rate effect[27]; (2) the stress–strain curves under quasi-static and dynamic conditions are susceptible to temperature (i.e. the lower the temperature is, the greater the deviation will be)[28]; (3) the compression behavior at high strain rate is aligned with the Zhu–Wang–Tang (ZWT) constitutive model, which can be used to reflect the compression response of the polymer at different strain rates.[29]
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