Photoelastic Properties of Polystyrene in the Glassy State. I. Effect of Molecular Orientation

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Abstract
The effect of molecular orientation on the stress-optical coefficient of polystyrene at room temperature (24°C) was measured using polystyrene monofilaments with different degrees of orientation. High degrees of orientation were obtained by cold-stretching. The optical measurements were made using a polarizing microscope fitted with a Sénarmont compensator. The stress-optical coefficient shows a strong dependence on molecular orientation, using birefringence as the index of molecular orientation. The stress-optical coefficient appears to decrease linearly vs birefringence, from a value of about +10 brewsters at zero birefringence to a value of about +4 brewsters at −0.04 birefringence. The elastic (Young's) modulus was also measured (in tension) as a function of orientation, and was found to increase nonlinearly with orientation (from 4.3×105 psi at zero birefringence to 6.1×105 psi at −0.04). A curve of strain-optical coefficient vs orientation was obtained by multiplying stress-optical and modulus values; this decreases nonlinearly and to a somewhat lesser extent than the stress-optical curve (from about +0.03 at zero birefringence to +0.017 at −0.04). The significance of these constants in photoelastic experiments is discussed.