Studies on the growth of voids in amorphous glassy polymers

Numerical studies are presented of the localized deformations around voids in amorphous glassy polymers. This problem is relevant for polymer-rubber blends once cavitation has taken place inside the rubber particles. The studies are based on detailed finite element analyses of axisymmetric or planar cell models, featuring large local strains and recent material models that describe time-dependent yield, followed by intrinsic softening and subsequent strain hardening due to molecular orientation. The results show that plasticity around the void occurs by a combination of two types of shear bands, which we refer to as wing and dog-ear bands, respectively. Growth of the void occurs by propagation of the shear bands, which is driven by orientational hardening. Also discussed is the evolution of the local hydrostatic stress distribution between voids during growth, in view of possible craze initiation.