MECHANICAL RELAXATION AND INTERMOLECULAR INTERACTION IN EPOXY RESINS/POLY (ETHYLENE OXIDE) BLENDS CURED WITH PHTHALIC ANHYDRIDE

The miscibility of the blend,composed of a bisphenol A epoxy resins (Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A) (DGEBA) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG) and crosslinked by phthalic anhydride (PA) was studied using dynamic mechanical method. Single glass transition temperatures intermediate between the two pure components were observed for all blend levels. The secondary relaxation mechanism should relate to not only diester linkage, but also hydroxyether structural unit in the system. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is applied to study the curing reaction and intermolecular specific interaction of the system. The results indicate the PEO participates the crosslinking reaction, accelerates the curing reaction and make the reaction more perfect. The shifts of the hydroxyl band and carbonyl band demonstrate the presence of the intermolecular interaction in the cured blend. Moreover, the molecular interaction between the side hydroxyl in the hydroxyether units and the ether bond in PEO macromolecules is stronger.

MECHANICAL RELAXATION TIME OF A TWO-COMPONENT EPOXY NETWORKLiClO_4 POLYMER ELECTROLYTE

The mechanical relaxation time of a two-component epoxy network-LiClO_4 system as a polymer electrolyte was investigated. The network is composed of diglycidyl ether of polyethylene glycol (DGEPEG) and triglycidyl ether of glycerol (TGEG), wherein LiCIO_4 was incorporated and acts as both the ionic carrier and the curing catalyst. As the relaxation time is informative to the segmental mobility, which is known to be essential for ionic conductivity, the average relaxation times of the specimens were determined through master curve construction. Experimental results showed that the salt concentration, molecular weight of PEG in DGEPEG and DGEPEG/TGEG ratio have profound effect on the relaxation time of the specimen. Among these factors , the former reinforces the network chains, leading to lengthen the relaxation time, whereas the latter two are in favour of the chain flexibility and show an opposite effect. The findings was rationalized in terms of the free volume concept.

Dynamic mechanical relaxation behavior of Zr_(35)Hf_(17.5)Ti_(5.5)Al_(12.5)Co_(7.5)Ni_(12)Cu_(10)high entropy bulk metallic glass

Non-equiatomic high entropy bulk metallic glasses were reported recently and show unique mechanical and physical properties.Dynamic mechanical relaxation behavior of Zr_(35)Hf_(17.5)Ti_(5.5)Al_(12.5)Co_(7.5)Ni_(12)Cu_(10)high entropy bulk metallic glass was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA)and the mechanical spectra could be well described by the quasi-point defects(QPD)theory.Compared to typical metallic glasses,the intensity of theβrelaxation of Zr_(35)Hf_(17.5)Ti_(5.5)Al_(12.5)Co_(7.5)Ni_(12)Cu_(10)high entropy bulk metallic glass is lower due to the sluggish diffusion.At the same time,the correlation factor is higher than that of conventional metallic glasses and this is ascribed to the high configuration entropy.In parallel,physical aging below the glass transition temperature leads to a decrease of atomic mobility,caused by a decrease of the concentration of defects.

Dynamic mechanical relaxation and thermal creep of high-entropy La_(30)Ce_(30)Ni_(10)Al_(20)Co_(10)bulk metallic glass

Dynamic mechanical relaxation is a fundamental tool to understand the mechanical and physical properties of viscoelastic materials like glasses.Mechanical spectroscopy shows that the high-entropy bulk metallic glass(La_(30)Ce_(30)Ni_(10)Al_(20)Co_(10))exhibits a distinctβ-relaxation feature.In the present research,dynamic mechanical analysis and thermal creep were performed using this bulk metallic glass material at a temperature domain around theβrelaxation.The components of total strain,including ideal elastic strain,anelastic strain,and viscous-plastic strain,were analyzed based on the model of shear transformation zones(STZs).The stochastic activation of STZ contributes to the anelastic strain.When the temperature or external stress is high enough or the timescale is long enough,the interaction between STZs induces viscous-plastic strain.When all the spectrum of STZs is activated,the quasi-steady-state creep is achieved.

Effect of Direct Quenching and Partitioning Treatment on Mechanical Properties of a Hot Rolled Strip Steel

Three different online heat treatment processes were designed to study the effects on the mechanical properties of a 0.19C-1.6Si-1.6Mn（wt%） hot rolled strip steel.The microstructures were characterized by means of SEM,TEM,EPMA,and XRD.The mechanical properties were estimated by tensile tests.Results showed that a satisfying combination of strength and ductility could be obtained through the ferrite relaxation and direct quenching and partitioning process.Analysis was also focused on this process.The microstructure contained proeutectoid ferrite grains,martensite packets and blocky or interlath retained austenite,and also contained carbide-free bainite in the case of relatively high quench temperatures.The retained austenite fraction was increased through proeutectoid ferrite and partial bainite transformation,while the tensile strength was also consequently decreased.The most of retained austenite transformed to ferrite under deformation and the elongation was obviously improved.

Effects of relaxation time on start-up time for starting flow of Maxwell fluid in a pipe

Although the analytical solution of the starting flow of Maxwell fluid in a pipe has been derived for a long time, the effect of relaxation time λ on start-up time ts of this flow is still not well understood. Especially, there exist a series of jumps on the ts-λ. curve. In this paper we introduce a normalized mechanical energy by mode decomposition and mathematical analogy to describe the start-up process. An improved definition of start-up time is presented based on the normalized mechanical energy. It is proved that the ts-λ. curve contains a series of jumps if λ is larger than a critical value. The exact positions of the jumps are determined and the physical reason of the jumps is discussed.

Slowβrelaxation in La-based metallic glasses based on mechanical spectroscopy measurements

Dynamic mechanical relaxations of La-based metallic glasses were investigated by mechanical spectroscopy.In the framework of the mixing enthalpy of constituent atoms,it was found thatβrelaxation was less evident by the addition of Cu to replace Ni in the LaCuNiAl glassy alloy.By introducing Cu into the LaNiAl metallic glass,the mixing enthalpy was less negative,which led to weakerβrelaxation of the metallic glasses.Theαrelaxation of the La-based metallic glasses could be described by a Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts（KWW）function with a Kohlrausch exponentβKWW around 0.5.It should be noted that physical aging above the glass transition temperature Tginduced a decrease ofβrelaxation intensity in the La-based metallic glass.

Correlation of Cooperatively Localized Rearrangement on the ＂Fluidized Domain＂ of Polymers to Their Nonexponentially Viscoelastic Behavior and Lifetime at Double Aging Processes II： Estimation of Long-term Mechanical Behavior and Lifetime of Polymeric Materials from Short-time Creep and Stress Relaxation Tests

Three kinds of polymeric materials are taken as example for the verification of linear ex-trapolation method from unified master lines with reduced universal equations on creep and stress relaxation tests. The theoretical values of long-term mechanical behavior and lifetime for a cured epoxide, polypropylene, poly（methyl-methacrylate）, and SBR rubber are directly evaluated with the universal equations on reduced creep compliance and reduced stress relax-ation modulus and are compared with their predicted values by the linear extrapolation from the unified master lines of creep and stress relaxation. The results show that the theoretical values of dimensional stability, bearing ability and lifetime are in an excellent agreement with the predicted values, it shows that the linear extrapolation method is more simple and reliable. The dependences of long-term mechanical behaviors and lifetime on the different aging times are discussed.

Tailoring the mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses via cooling from the supercooled liquid region

Structural rejuvenation is vital and attractive for modulating the energetic state and structural heterogeneity of bulk metallic glasses(BMGs). In this paper, we show that cooling a BMG from a supercooled liquid region at laboratory rates can reverse the relaxation enthalpy lost during the preceding structural relaxation. Increasing the cooling rate is beneficial for enhancing atomic mobility and dynamic mechanical relaxation intensity. Therefore, this rejuvenation methodology promotes tailoring the mechanical properties of BMGs and provides a comprehensive understanding of the rejuvenation mechanism.

Residual-stress relaxation mechanism and model description of 5052H32 Al alloy spun ellipsoidal heads during annealing treatment

Marginal-restraint mandrel-free spinning is an advanced technology for manufacturing ellipsoidal heads with large diameter-thickness ratios.Nevertheless,the spinning-induced residual stress,which greatly influences the in-service performance of spun heads,should be removed.In this study,the effects of annealing on the residual-stress relaxation behavior of 5052H32 aluminum alloy spun heads were investigated.It is found that the residual stress first rapidly decreases and then remains steady with the increase in annealing time at the tested annealing temperatures.The relaxation of the residual stress becomes increasingly obvious with the increase in annealing temperature.When the annealing temperature is less than 220℃,there are no obvious changes in grain size.Moreover,the spinning-induced dislocations are consumed by the static recovery behavior,which decreases the residual stress during annealing.When the annealing temperature is approximately 300℃,the broken grains transform into equiaxed grains.In addition,static recrystallization and recovery behaviors occur simultaneously to promote the relaxation of the residual stress.Considering the different stress relaxation mechanisms,a model based on the Zener-Wert-Avrami equation was established to predict the residual-stress relaxation behavior.Finally,the optimized annealing temperature and time were approximately 300C and 30 min,respectively.

A thermoviscoelastic finite deformation constitutive model based on dual relaxation mechanisms for amorphous shape memory polymers

This paper proposes a new thermoviscoelastic finite deformation model incorporating dual relaxation mechanisms to predict the complete thermo-mechanical response of amorphous shape memory polymers.The model is underpinned by the detailed microscopic molecular mechanism and effectively reflects the current understanding of the glass transition phenomenon.Novel evolution rules are obtained from the model to characterize the viscous flow,and a new theory named an internal stress model is introduced and combined with the dual relaxation mechanisms to capture the stress recovery.The rationality of the constitutive model is verified as the theoretical results agree well with the experimental data.Moreover,the constitutive model is further simplified to facilitate engineering applications,and it can roughly capture the characteristics of shape memory polymers.

Linear Viscoelasticity of ABA-type Vitrimer Based on Dioxaborolane Metathesis

In this study,we synthesized a series of ABA-type vitrimers by crosslinking the short A moieties of precursors with a bifunctional crosslinker and evaporating the small molecular byproduct.The vitrimer samples thus prepared exhibit linear viscoelasticity dependent on the length of A moiety as well as the content of the crosslinks.When the average number of A monomers per end moiety m=1.1,the crosslinker can only extend the chain but not crosslink the chain.When m becomes 2.8 or higher,introducing a crosslinker first leads to the gelation,whereas excess in crosslinker molecules leads opening of the crosslinking sites and accordingly reentry into the sol regime.Surprisingly,a further increase in the length of the A moieties increases the relaxation time much weaker than the exponential increase seen for the physically crosslinked ABAtype ionomers.We attribute this difference to the distinct relaxation mechanisms:the relaxation of the vitrimer samples is based on relatively independent exchange reactions,which contrasts with the ABA-type ionomers that relax through the collective hopping of connected ionic groups from one ion aggregate to another.

Atomic force microscopy studies on cellular elastic and viscoelastic properties

In this work, a method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) approach-reside-retract experiments was established to simultaneously quantify the elastic and viscoelastic properties of single cells. First, the elastic and viscoelastic properties of normal breast cells and cancerous breast cells were measured, showing significant differences in Young’s modulus and relaxation times between normal and cancerous breast cells. Remarkable differences in cellular topography between normal and cancerous breast cells were also revealed by AFM imaging. Next, the elastic and viscoelasitc properties of three other types of cell lines and primary normal B lymphocytes were measured; results demonstrated the potential of cellular viscoelastic properties in complementing cellular Young’s modulus for discerning different states of cells. This research provides a novel way to quantify the mechanical properties of cells by AFM, which allows investigation of the biomechanical behaviors of single cells from multiple aspects.