Predicting the long-term failure of polycarbonate: A constitutive approach

In this study, an in-house numerical model is employed to predict the time-to-failure of polycarbonate under long-term constant or cyclic loading. This elasto-viscoplastic model captures the intrinsic deformation behavior of the glassy polymer. The model parameters are determined from uni-axial compression testing. In the case of long-term loading, however, special attention should be given to the intrinsic deformation behavior, as this might change within the time-scale of the experiment. Therefore, an elaborate investigation is performed to implement so-called aging kinetics in this model. It is shown that the application of approach leads to accurate predictions of time-to-failure under both constant loading and cyclic loading conditions. Moreover, the current model is based on a single parameter set and is molecular weight independent.