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arXiv · 2202.04065

Computational Indentation in Highly Cross-linked Polymer Networks

Manoj Kumar Maurya·Céline Ruscher·Debashish Mukherji·Manjesh Kumar Singh
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Abstract

Indentation is a common experimental technique to study the mechanics of polymeric materials. The main advantage of using indentation is because this provides a direct correlation between the microstructure and the small-scale mechanical response, which is otherwise difficult within the standard tensile testing. Here, majority of studies have investigated hydrogels, microgels and/or elastomers. However, a lesser investigated system is the indentation in highly cross-linked polymer (HCP) networks, where the complex network structure plays a key role in dictating their physical properties. In this work, we investigate the structure-property relationship in HCP networks using the computational indentation of a generic model. We establish a correlation between the local bond breaking, the network rearrangement, and the small-scale mechanics. The results are compared with the elastic-plastic deformation model. HCPs harden upon indentation.

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Manoj Kumar Maurya, Céline Ruscher, Debashish Mukherji, Manjesh Kumar Singh. 2022-02-08. Computational Indentation in Highly Cross-linked Polymer Networks. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.106.014501

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