Statistische Mechanik und Polymerdynamik an Füllstoffoberflächen in Elastomeren, Verglasung und Rissausbreitung
Final Report Abstract
In the first period we have achieved several basic results. In the first year (under the work of Dr. Navin Singh) we have investigated the physics of chain breaking in polymer bundles which consisted of polymers with different chain lengths. There the storage of the energy in each polymer in the bundle is different, due to the different deformation state ofthe individual polymer. In this context we have derived criteria for the breaking of the entire bundle. These considerations are relevant for the formation of cavities in strongly stretched polymer materials. In the last two years (under the work of Dr. Mariano Febbo) we derived the first time a consistent model for the chain dynamics of strongly stretched chains. This is indeed an important issue for understanding the microscopic properties of the fatigue of polymer materials. It was shown that the non-linearity of the equafions of motion yield strong dynamics contributions to the breaking of individual chains. This was shown by using analytic and numerical approaches. The fundamental previous work has plenty of impact for further theories and applications in both, basic research and applications, which we plan to do partly in the following up within this research project. It allows firstly the development of the dynamics of polymers in totally different direction, far away from the current restriction to more or less linear Rouse type equations, especially for situations where the linear models do not make sense anymore, e.g. strong flow fields, turbulence, etc. Secondly the theory allows understanding and deriving new criteria for the crack and cracking propagation in the field of materials science, especially when it will be combined with the aspects of glassy layers between filler particles as proposed within the present joint research project.
Publications
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Theory of reinforcement - a multiscale problem, Euromech, Strasbourg, 2005
T.A. Vilgis
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Time scales in the reinforcement of elastomers, Polymer, 46, 4223, 2005
T.A. Vilgis
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Dynamcis and rupture of stretched chains - naive ideas, DIK Herbstkolloquium 2006
T.A. Vilgis, N. Singh
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Dynamics of stretched chains, International Discussion meeting on Polymer Networks, Meissen, 2007
M. Febbo, T.A. Vilgis
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Dynamisc and breaking of polymer networks, Kautschuk Kunststoffe & Gummi KGK, 9, 444, 2007
T.A. Vilgis, N. Singh
