Viscoelastic properties of physically crosslinked networks. III: Time- dependent phenomena (Q1199371)

The paper examines time-dependent phenomena by solving the initial value problem for the fundamental evolution equation obtained by the authors in earlier papers [for parts I, II, see the foregoing entries] for the model network describing the viscoelastic properties of physically crosslinked networks, in which network junctions can reversibly break and recombine. The stress relaxation after a sudden macrodeformation is calculated for several choices of the breakage rate, and overshoot phenomena in shear and normal stresses, that arise after steady flows are started at the initial equilibrium state, are analyzed. It is seen that the maxima of the shear stress, first and second normal stress difference occur in that order. For large values of the shear rate there is larger overshoot, but the time of occurrence of the overshoot is almost independent of the strain rate; the total amount of strain that can be withstood by the network until it breaks depends strongly on the deformation rate.