No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

In an attempt to better understand factors that govern the fracture resistance of rigid vinyl components, a multifaceted study was undertaken. Fracture toughness was determined by a high rate servohydraulic tester. Failure morphologies were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In many cases, very abrupt ductile to brittle transitions were observed at moderate strain rates. In addition, since the glass transition temperature for these materials are relatively low, being of the order of 70°C to 80°C, considerable free volume relaxation or physical aging are observed at conditions near or slightly above ambient. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to quantify the degree of aging. Results correlated with observed failure properties.