Rheo-optics of High-Speed Deformation. II. Polyethylene and Polybutene-1

The photographic light scattering-technique was used to study the relationship between sample deformation and spherulite deformation during rapid stretching of polyethylene and polybutene-1 films. Scattering patterns are interpreted in terms of spherulite deformation theory to give the elongation ratio of the spherulite which is compared with that of the sample. At low elongations spherulite deformation is less than or equal to that of the sample indicating that an affine deformation model is a reasonable approximation. At high elongations the spherulite elongation ratio is greater than that of the sample. This is due to inhomogeneous deformation where the local deformation of the sample in the scattering region is greater than the macroscopic deformation.