Components of non-elastic deformation in amorphous glassy polymers

Non-elastic deformation of amorphous polymers was studied from strain recovery tests. In particular, a strain recovery master curve was built, which allowed estimation of the recovery times necessary to recover the whole non-elastic deformation. On such a curve, two non-elastic deformations, one anelastic and one plastic, could be distinguished by their range of recovery time. The evolution of these two components was followed during a constant strain-rate test. This clearly showed the importance of the anelastic deformation. Finally, from a review of the properties of these two components, a consistent description of deformation and recovery processes has been proposed