Small-angle x-ray scattering study of crazing in bulk thermoplastic polymers

Crazing is a form of tension-induced deformation consisting of microscopic cracks spanned by load-bearing fibrils. This is generally considered to be the primary source of plastic strain response of rubber-modified thermoplastics subjected to applied tensile stress. An understanding of the mechanisms involved in crazing is, therefore, valuable as a means of identifying structure-property relationships. Extensive studies on single crazes in thin films have been done,;The analysis of small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) data is highly model-dependent requiring precise structural models to ensure accurate interpretation. Recently, improved measurement techniques have called into question some aspects of the long accepted models applied to SAXS interpretation of craze structures.;RTSAXS studies of High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) and Polystyrene (PS) blended with 2 wt.% Polybutadiene (PB) were performed using a constant strain rate of 5...