Abstract
An experimental study of temperature-dependent mechanical behaviour of Poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) was performed at a range of temperatures (20 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C and 80 °C) below its glass transition point (108 °C) under uniaxial tension and three-point bending loading conditions. This study was accompanied by simulations aimed at identification of material parameters for two different constitutive material models. Experimental flow curves obtained for PMMA were used in elasto-plastic analysis, while a sim-flow optimization tool was employed for a two-layer viscoplasticity model. The temperature increase significantly affected mechanical behaviour of PMMA, with quasi-brittle fracture at room temperature and super-plastic behaviour (ε>110%) at 80 °C. The two-layer viscoplasticity material model was found to agree better with the experimental data obtained for uniaxial tension than the elasto-plastic description.
•Temperature-dependent mechanical behaviour of PMMA below its Tg point was analyzed.•PMMA showed quasi-brittle behaviour at 20 °C and super-plastic one (ε>110%) at 80 °C.•Parameters of two-layer viscoplasticity and elasto-plastic models were identified.•Experimental data were used to validate parameters of the material models.•Two-layer viscoplasticity model reproduced mechanical behaviour of PMMA better.