Reaction-Rate Model for Fracture in Polymeric Fibers

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Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques were used to determine the number of free radicals produced during deformation leading to fracture of nylon 6 fibers. A reaction‐rate molecular model is proposed to explain some of the deformation and bond‐rupture behavior leading to fracture. High‐strength polymer fibers are assumed to consist of a sandwich structure of crystalline‐block and amorphous‐flaw regions along the fiber axis. In the flaw regions, tie chains connecting the crystalline blocks are assumed to have a statistical distribution in length. These chains are, therefore, subjected to different stresses. The length distribution was determined by EPR. The probability of bond rupture was assumed to be controlled by reaction‐rate theory with a stress‐aided activation energy and behavior of various loadings determined by numerical techniques. The model is successfully correlated with experimental stress, strain, and bond‐rupture results for creep, constant‐rate‐of‐loading, and cyclic‐stress tests.

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