The present book is devoted to a rapidly developing field of science which studies the behavior of viscoelastic materials under the influence of deformation~the rheology of polymers. Rheology has long been treated as the theoretical foundation of polymer processing, and from this standpoint it is difficult to overesti­ mate its importance in practice. Rheology plays an important role in developing our ideas on the nature of viscoelastic behavior in connection with the structural features of polymers and composites based on them. This expands the possibilities of employing rheological methods to characterize a variety of materials and greatly magnifies the interest in this field of research. The rheological properties of polymer systems are studied experimen­ tally, chiefly under conditions of shear and tensile strains. One explana­ tion is that many aspects of polymer material processing are associated with the stretching of melts or a combination of shear and tensile strains. In scientific investigations, either periodic or continuous conditions of shear deformation are employed. Each mode provides widespread infor­ mation. In periodic deformation, most attention is generally given to conditions with low deformation amplitudes that do not alter the structure of the polymer system during an experiment (the region of linear deformation conditions). Here the viscoelastic parameters are generally determined with respect to the frequency. Continuous deforma­ tion involves considerable strains, and may be attended by significant reversible and irreversible changes in the structure of a polymer.

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1 Some Theoretical and Numerical Approaches to Describing the Viscoelastic Properties of Polymer Systems.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Single Molecule Approach in the Theory of Viscoelasticity of Polymer Concentrated Solutions and Melts.- 1.3 Imitation Modeling by the Method of Brownian Dynamics of the Viscoelastic Behavior of Polymers.- 1.4 Structural Approach to Modeling the Behavior of Filled Polymers.- 1.5 A Geometric Approach to Modeling the Behavior of Filled Polymers.- 1.6 Conclusion.- References.- 2 Rheological Properties, Relaxation Behavior, and Rupture of Polymers at Temperatures above their Glass Transition Temperature.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Viscoelastic Behavior in Low-Amplitude Shear.- 2.3 Viscoelastic Behavior in Continuous Shear Deformation.- 2.4 Viscoelastic Behavior in Uniaxial Extension.- 2.5 Relaxation Transition of Polymers in the Triaxial Stressed State.- 2.6 Relation between Relaxation Properties and Laws of Polymer Fracture.- References.- 3 Rheological Relaxation Properties of Polymer Blends.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 General Problems of Description of Polymer Blends Properties.- 3.3 Qualitative Appraisals of Structural-Morphological Properties of Blends: Classification.- 3.4 Rheological Properties of Limitedly Compatible Blends.- 3.5 Rheological Properties of Incompatible Blends.- 3.6 Model Approaches.- 3.7 Conclusion.- References.- 4 Rheological and Relaxation Properties of Copolymers.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 General and Specific Features.- 4.3 Two-Block Copolymers.- 4.4 Three-Block Copolymers.- 4.5 Features of the Rheological and Relaxation Behavior of Compositions Including Copolymers.- References.- 5 Rheological and Relaxation Properties of Filled Polymers.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Properties of a Polymer in a Filled System.- 5.3 Properties of a Filler in a Filled System.- 5.4 Physicochemical Aspects of Reinforcement.- 5.5 Some Aspects of the Rheological Appraisal of Mixing Quality.- 5.6 Model Behavior of Viscoelastic Properties of Filled Polymers.- 5.7 Influence of Filler 'Activity'.- 5.8 Dynamic Rheological Characterization.- 5.9 Relation between Rheological and Strength Characteristics.- 5.10 Relaxation Behavior.- 5.11 Conclusion.- References.- Appendix 1. The Prototype Program of the Brownian Dynamic Method.- Appendix 2. The Prototype Program of the Finite Element Method.