Part III

Polymer Synthesis

This part of the book moves from the chemical structure and reactions used to form polymers to their physical properties. Some of the material in this section may be familiar to one who has studied the mechanics of materials, but it is worth delving deeper into polymers and discover some of their unusual characteristics (viscoelasticity, for one). Topics that are addressed here include mechanical strength, flexibility, polymer responses to compression, stretching and shear forces, and the equipment used to test these properties. One chapter is devoted to mathematical models to describe viscoelastic behavior (using combinations of so-called springs and dashpots) to approximate the complex response of polymers to stresses that include both elastic stretch (which is particularly useful in the waistbands of underwear) and viscous deformation (which is very useful in automobile bumpers to dissipate the energy of a collision).