Interconversion algorithm between mechanical and dielectric relaxation measurements for acetate of cis- and trans-2-phenyl-5-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxane.

The dielectric and mechanical spectroscopies of acetate of cis- and trans-2-phenyl-5-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxane are reported in the frequency domain from 10(-2) to 10(6)Hz. This ester has been selected in this study for its predominant α relaxation with regard to the ß relaxation, which can be neglected. This study consists of determining an interconversion algorithm between dielectric and mechanical measurements, given by using a relation between rotational and translational complex viscosities. These important viscosities were obtained from measures of the dielectric complex permittivity and by dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. The definitions of rotational and translational viscosities were evaluated by means of fractional calculus, by using the fit parameters of the Havriliak-Negami empirical model obtained in the dielectric and mechanical characterization of the α relaxation. This interconversion algorithm is a generalization of the break of the Stokes-Einstein-Debye relationship. It uses a power law with an exponent defined as the shape factor, which modifies the translational viscosity. Two others factors are introduced for the interconversion, a shift factor, which displaces the translational viscosity in the frequency domain, and a scale factor, which makes equal values of the two viscosities. In this paper, the shape factor has been identified as the relation between the slopes of the moduli of the complex viscosities at higher frequency. This is interpreted as the degree of kinetic coupling between the molecular rotation and translational movements. Alternatively, another interconversion algorithm has been expressed by means of dielectric and mechanical moduli.

Biaxially stretched nematic liquid crystalline elastomers.

The biaxial stretching of sheets of liquid crystalline neo-Hookean elastomer has been studied in the isotropic case. The results suggest two types of laminate structures in the process of quasiconvexification of the free energy, a fact that implies the appearance of several shear terms in the deformation gradient matrix. More that one decomposition of the deformation gradient is possible, which is consistent with a bifurcation in the undeformed configuration (λ = 1) . This situation is similar to the well-known Rivlin's problem of the triaxial symmetric traction of a neo-Hookean cube. The problem can easily be generalized for an anisotropic material by introducing a semisoft term in the free-energy expression. In this case, the horizontal plateau corresponding to the minimal energy, characteristic of the soft elasticity, disappears, and only an equilibrium condition is obtained.

Contributions of dipolar relaxation processes and ionic transport to the response of liquids to electrical perturbation fields.

The objective of this work was to study the influence of small variations in the chemical structure on the molecular dynamics of liquids using as models bis(cyclohexylmethyl) 2-methyl- and dicyclohexyl 2-methylsuccinate. The dielectric behavior of the low molecular weight liquids was studied over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. The results show that the temperature dependence of the dielectric strengths, relaxation times, and shape parameters of the secondary and glass-liquid relaxations are very sensitive to the slight differences in the structures of the liquids. Significant changes take place in the dielectric strength of the ß relaxation in the glass liquid transition. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the ß relaxation exhibits Arrhenius behavior in the glassy state and departs from this behavior in the liquid state. Special attention is paid to the temperature dependence of low-frequency relaxations produced by the motion of a macrodipole arising from charges located near the liquid-electrode boundaries.

Instability of incompressible cylinder rubber tubes under radial electric fields.

The possibility of instability of cylindrical tubes of elastomers is analyzed taking into account Mooney-Rivlin (M. Mooney, J. Appl. Phys. 11, 582 (1940)) and Ogden (R.W. Ogden, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 326, 565 (1972)) models. In some aspects this paper is the elasto-electric counterpart of a previous paper by Bustamante, Dorfmann and Ogden (R. Bustamante, A. Dorfmann, R.W. Ogden, J. Engn. Math. 59, 139 (2007)). However in the present case the appearance of instability is checked. The results indicate that models more complex than the Mooney-Rivlin model are necessary to predict instability zones showing minimum critical points.

Effect of an electric field on the bifurcation of a biaxially stretched incompressible slab rubber.

This paper describes the effect of an electrical field on the bifurcation phenomenon that appears in a biaxially stretched slab of Mooney-Rivlin material (M. Mooney, J. Appl. Phys. 11, 582 (1940)) subjected to equal dead loads. The main conclusion of the analysis is that the stretch ratio at which the bifurcation phenomenon appears crucially depends on the configuration of the system rubber slab-electrodes. The theoretical foundations of the present study are based on a recent formulation on this subject carried out by Dorfmann and Ogden (A. Dorfmann, R.W. Ogden, Acta Mech. 174, 167 (2005); J. Elasticity 82, 99 (2006)).

Interconversion of mechanical and dielectrical relaxation measurements for dicyclohexylmethyl-2-methyl succinate.

A comparison between results of dielectrical relaxation and dynamic mechanical spectroscopies is carried out for the alpha-relaxation of the ester dicyclohexyl methyl-2-methyl succinate (DCMMS). The results for the dielectric permittivity and the shear modulus measurements are presented according to the empirical Havriliak-Negami (HN) equation. By using the time-temperature principle a master curve in each case was obtained for several temperatures. The comparative analysis presented here is based on the assumption of a relationship between rotational and shear viscosities. The former one is associated to the dielectrical relaxation, whereas the latter is associated to mechanical relaxation. Both viscosities are not necessarily equal in general, and we assume that the difference between them is an important factor to appropriately compare the dielectrical and mechanical results.

Nonlinear viscoelastic behaviour of the flexor tendon of the human hand.

The mechanical behaviour of the flexor tendon of the human hand is here investigated from the point of view of its nonlinear viscoelasticity. The samples are subjected to several single and multiple step loading histories. A quasilinear viscoelastic constitutive relationship between strain and stress history is assumed. Its characteristic material functions are determined with the aid of simple creep results, and model predictions are compared with the experimental results of complex loading histories. The validity of the quasilinear approach to tendon behaviour is discussed in connection with the deformation mechanism suggested by it.