Glass glassy state

At very short times the modulus is on the order of 10" ° N m comparable to ordinary window glass at room temperature. In fact, the mechanical behavior displayed in this region is called the glassy state, regardless of the chemical composition of the specimen. Inorganic and polymeric glasses... 

Fig. 19. Generalized modulus—temperature curves for polymeric materials showing the high modulus glassy state, glass-transition regions for cured and uncured polymers, plateau regions for cross-linked polymers, and the dropoff in modulus for a linear polymer.

The Metravib Micromecanalyser is an inverted torsional pendulum, but unlike the torsional pendulums described eadier, it can be operated as a forced-vibration instmment. It is fully computerized and automatically determines G, and tan 5 as a function of temperature at low frequencies (10 1 Hz). Stress relaxation and creep measurements are also possible. The temperature range is —170 to 400°C. The Micromecanalyser probably has been used more for the characterization of glasses and metals than for polymers, but has proved useful for determining glassy-state relaxations and microstmctures of polymer blends (285) and latex films (286). 

Glass transition Transition region or state in which an amorphous polymer changed from (or to) a viscous or rubbery condition to (or from) a hard and relatively brittle one. Transition occurs over a narrow temperature region similar to solidification of a liquid to a glassy state. This transformation causes hardness, brittleness, thermal expansibility, specific heat, and other properties to change dramatically. 

With plastics there is a certain temperature, called the glass transition temperature, Tg, below which the material behaves like glass i.e. it is hard and rigid. As can be seen from Table 1.8 the value for Tg for a particular plastic is not necessarily a low temperature. This immediately helps to explain some of the differences which we observe in plastics. For example, at room temperature polystyrene and acrylic are below their respective Tg values and hence we observe these materials in their glassy state. Note, however, that in contrast, at room temperature, polyethylene is above its glass transition temperature and so we observe a very flexible matoial. When cooled below its Tg it then becomes a hard, brittle solid. Plastics can have several transitions. 

Glass-ceramics are a family of materials that are polycrystalline in nature and are formed from the liquid or glassy state. A glass-ceramic article is made by the heat treatment of a vitreous body in two stages ... 

The glassy state does not represent a true equilibrium phase. Below the transition into a glass phase, the material is regarded as being in a metastable state. If one holds the substances at temperatures somewhat below the glass transition temperature, heat evolution can often be observed over time as the molecules slowly orient themselves into the lower energy, stable crystalline phase. 

Molecular Motion in amorphous atactic polystyrene (PS) is more complicated and a number of relaxation processes, a through 5 have been detected by various techniques as reviewed recently by Sillescu74). Of course, motions above and below the glass transition temperature Tg have to be treated separately, as well as chain and side group mobility, respectively. Motion well above Tg as well as phenyl motion in the glassy state, involving rapid 180° jumps around their axes to the backbone has been discussed in detail in Ref.17). Here we will concentrate on chain mobility in the vicinity of the glass transition. 

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