Yielding of glassy polymers in the second quadrant of principal stress space

Abstract

Second quadrant crazing and shear yielding studies were performed on glassy poly(methyl methacrylate) by means of combined torsion-tension loading. The results are in quantitative agreement with the shear and normal stress yielding criteria proposed by Sternstein and Ongchin. It is shown that four distinct regions of material response exist in the second quadrant and, depending on the stress state, 1) no crazing and no shear yielding, 2) crazing alone, 3) shear yielding alone, or 4) crazing and shear yielding can occur. An analysis of stress field induced brittle-ductile transitions is presented which is in agreement with other studies of high-pressure yielding.