Micromechanics of semicrystalline polymers: towards quantitative predictions

An initially qualitative two-phase elasto-viscoplastic micromechanical model for the mechanical performance of semicrystalline materials has previously been developed. In the last decade, a series of extensions to this model have been aimed towards quantitative predictions of the response of semi-crystalline polymers based on their microstructure. These developments included extensive experimental characterization and modelling of the yield kinetics, time-to-failure, creep and thermal shrinkage and expansion. This paper gives an overview of the route from the initially qualitative model to a model that quantitatively captures these complex aspects of the mechanical response of a semicrystalline polymer.