A unified model of necking and shear banding in amorphous and semicrystalline polymers

NoIn tensile stretching, many polymers undergo strain localization. The geometrical form of the localization can take the form of either a shear band or an approximately symmetric neck. We present a constitutive model of the early stages of deformation that predicts which form the localization will take. The model consists of an Eyring process acting with a Gaussian network that is implemented numerically. A Levy-Mises flow rule associated with the Eyring process has a tendency to produce shear bands. A relatively stiff Gaussian network is used in a model of polycarbonate that ensures that most of the strain is taken up by the Eyring process, resulting in shear banding. In contrast, a relatively soft Gaussian network is used in a model of polyethylene, which takes up the greater part of the strain, resulting in a neck. The predictions are compared with experiments. For polyethylene, a two-Eyring-process model is introduced for better accuracy