Structural Changes and Electrodynamic Effects in Polymers under Fast Uniaxial Compression

Rheological explosion in polymers under uniaxial compression in an open volume occurs at the end of continuous rapid plastic deformation after several stages of creep. Two types of polymers were chosen for this study: brittle glassy amorphous polystyrene and thermoplastic semi-crystalline polypropylene. Electric pulses were detected during explosion, and their spectra were analyzed with two models. X-ray diffraction methods were used to investigate changes in the structure and morphology of polymers during deformation and rheological explosion. The pores appear in polymer in this process, and their shape and size distribution were derived from X-ray experiments. The main reason for the formation of pores in polymer samples in rheological explosion experiments is the intense microshifts in the polymer volume under the action of high applied pressure.