A Thermo-mechanical and Phenomenological Model for Shape-memory Semi-crystalline Polymer Networks
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Polymers exhibiting the stress-free two-way shape-memory effect represent an appealing solution to achieve self-standing reversible actuation that is a fundamental feature for several applications (Scalet, 2020). The present work proposes a continuum thermo-mechanical framework to model single- and double-component semi-crystalline polymer networks under stress and stress-free conditions. Supported by a comprehensive experimental campaign that characterizes the thermo-mechanical properties and the shape-memory behavior of the material (Inverardi et al., 2022), we formulate the kinematics and thermo-mechanics of the model, elucidating the selection of the control variables and motivating the choice of their evolution laws. Standard and rigorous arguments in continuum mechanics and thermodynamics are applied to derive thermodynamic prescriptions on the basis of the selected functional dependence of the Helmholtz free energy density. Model capabilities are eventually validated against experimental data.
