VISCOELASTICITY

Introduction
• Viscoelasticity - is a material with properties which exhibits both viscous
and elastic behaviours
• The basic concepts of viscoelasticity, dealing with the fact that polymers
above glass-transition temperature exhibit high entropic elasticity
(viscoelasticity)
• Viscous materials, like honey, polymer melt etc, resist shear flow (shear flow
is in a solid body, the gradient of a shear stress force through the body) and
strain, i.e. the deformation of materials caused by stress, is linearly with
time when a stress is applied
Materials That Exhibit Viscoelasticity
All polymers exhibit viscoelastic properties, due to the internal
structure produced by interlinking monomers.
Any materials, both synthetic and natural, are viscoelastic. In
nature, it can be observed in materials such as:

• Spider’s silk – Spiders produce several types of silk for different

purposes. One such silk type is viscid silk, used to ensnare prey. It is
desirable that this silk exhibit viscoelastic properties as to absorb
energy from incoming insects as opposed to being elastic
enough to bounce them away.

• Human hair – Human hair is a polymer formed of keratin, as with

all polymers, it is viscoelastic.This is due to hydrogen bonds within
the hair breaking and eventually reforming once the stress is
removed, given its elastic limit was not exceeded by the stress
applied.
Many synthetic polymers are engineered to have specific viscoelastic
properties for different applications and the most common of which
being rubber.
The Physical Structure of Rubber
#Before any tension is applied to the rubber, these chains tend to coil and
tangle around each other (Figure 4). However, when a force is applied,
the conformation changes and the chains uncoil and extend in the
direction of the line of action of the force (Fig 5).

.
#While these chains exhibit elastic properties (i.e. they store the
energy used in displacing them), friction between the chains
causes a net loss of energy after they return to their original
positions, and causes the force applied to be proportional to the
speed at which the rubber is extended. Thusly rubber is said to
have viscoelastic properties
Modelling Viscoelastic Materials
Being an archetypal viscoelastic material, rubber cannot be
modelled as an ideal spring, nor can it be modelled as a viscous
fluid. Instead, viscoelastic materials can be modelled using a
number of different arrangements, each involving an ideal spring
to represent the elastic elements, and a dashpot to represent
the viscosity.
The models include
1.THE MAXWELL MODEL
2.THE KELVIN-VOIGT MODEL
3.THE STANDARD LINEAR SOLID MODEL
1.THE MAXWELL MODEL


The Maxwell model is the simplest way to model
viscoelasticity,

It comprises of a spring and dashpot in series

(Fig -). This model is useful as it is very easy to interpret
and illustrates many key properties of viscoelastic
materials, such as creep.

This model is not suitable for modelling materials over
long periods of time, as it places no limit upon how
much the dashpot can extend
Maxwell model predicts that when a stress is applied, there is an
instant extension from the spring, followed by an indefinite
extension from the dashpot, as a function of time.

THE MAXWELL MODEL

2.THE KELVIN-VOIGT MODEL

This model represents the viscoelastic element of a material as a

spring and dashpot in a parallel arrangement as opposed to a
series one(Fig -.
Here, the extension is equal across both components, and the
total force is split across the dashpot and spring.
According to this model, the dashpot will only extend to the
extension produced in the spring.
The Kelvin-Voigt Model
3.THE STANDARD LINEAR SOLID MODEL

 The SLS modelis a more complex model which combines

elements of both the Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt models.
 It has elements in both series and parallel arrangements and
can predict and account for many phenomena associated with
viscoelastic materials.
 However, simpler models are sometimes favoured for their
ease of use.
The Standard Linear Solid Model
 Creep experiment

• Creep and stress relaxation tests measure the dimensional stability of a

polymer, and because the tests can be of long duration, such tests are of
great practical importance.
• Creep measurements, especially, are of interest to engineers in any
application where the polymer must sustain loads for long periods.
• Creep and stress relaxation measurements are also of major importance to
anyone interested in the theory of or molecular origins of viscoelasticity.
• Creep measurements consist of loading with a constant stress and analyzing
the increase of strain in time.
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