Fig. 4. The experimental dependences of ultimate strain (left) and the fracture energy (right) on the intensity of the
strain rates for HFPM.
It is apparently from the presented experimental data that mechanical behavior of the investigated materials has
rheonomous nature – mechanical characteristics of its depend essentially on the strain rate. Direct using of ultimate
characteristics as a criterion to evaluate of fracture conditions of polymeric parts can lead to significant errors. On
the other side it is necessary to use such criterions that take into account the rheonomous character of resistance of
polymeric materials to mechanical loading.
4. Criterion of long-time strength of polymeric materials
The one of principal problems at the evaluation of workability of the parts of structures from rheonomous
materials is evaluation of the time to fracture. The fracture criteria based on the kinetic approach is used for decision
of this problem. In this case the fracture is considered as irreversible process of the inherent flaw accumulation
during mechanical loading. In the frame of this approach it is suggested that there is positive function of time, ϖ(t)
that is named the damage. It is assumed that ϖ = 0 for the unloaded material and ϖ = 1 at the moment of
fracture. Rabotnov (1969) suggested some kinetic equation to description the evolution of the damage during
deformation of the material. These equations relate the damage to the stresses and the strains in material. In specific
cases the increment of the damage is determined by some universal function of the stresses or the deformations at
formulation of the fracture criteria. Beily (1940) obtained the well known criterion of the linear summation of
damage when this universal function was determined as the dependence of the time to fracture on the stress at the
creep. Following this approach we adopt the universal function in the form of the experimental dependence of the
fracture energy on the strain rate. In this case, the damage increment is determined as a relation of the increment of
the strain energy to the fracture energy at corresponding value of the strain rate intensity:
i dϖ = dU(t) /W[ε