Elastic behavior of simple model networks

The elastic behaviors of simple networks consisting of but a few chains have been calculated on the basis of the James and Guth theory of elasticity. The calculations show that the number of elastically effective chains in a network is less than the actual number of network chains, and that the total number of chain backbone links distribute themselves equally (approximately) among the effective chains. It is also demonstrated that a chain molecular weight distribution could be of consequence in non‐Gaussian elasticity. Extrapolation of the findings to a macroscopic network suggests that the number of effective chains is one half the number of network chains, and that each effective chain behaves as if it contained twice as many of backbone links as a network chain.