TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN-RATE DEPENDENCE OF THE TENSILE YIELD STRESS OFPVC

Data on the tensile yield behavior of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), repo rted in the literature, are interpreted in terms of a model involving a cooperative movement of several independent structural units, all wi th the same activation enthalpy. This analysis leads to physical param eters such as the internal stress, activation volume, and enthalpy, et c. These values are discussed and compared with those determined from thermodynamical considerations using stress relaxation tests and tensi le curves at a constant strain rate. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.