Constitutive modeling of shape memory effects in semicrystalline polymers with stretch induced crystallization

Polymers can demonstrate shape memory (SM) effects by being temporarily fixed in a nonequilibrium shape and then recover their permanent shape when exposed to heat, light, or other external stimuli. Many previously developed shape memory polymers (SMPs) use the dramatic molecular chain mobility change around the glass transition temperature T_g to realize the SM effect. In these materials, the temporary shape cannot be repeated unless it is reprogramed, and therefore the SM effect is one way. Recently, a semicrystalline SMP, which can demonstrate both one- and two-way SM effects, was developed by one of our groups (Chung, T., Rorno-Uribe, A., and Mather, P. T., 2008, "Two-Way Reversible Shape Memory in a Semicrystalline Network," Macromolecules, 41(1), pp. 184-192). The main mechanism of the observed SM effects is due to stretch induced crystallization. This paper develops a one-dimensional constitutive model to describe the SM effect due to stretch induced crystallization. The model accurately describes the complex thermomechanical SM effect and can be used for the future development of three-dimensional constitutive models.