THE INFLUENCE OF VISCOELASTIC MATERIAL PROPERTIES ON DESIGN PROBLEMS

Viscoelasticity comprises an irreversible relation between stress and strain which is governed by the irreversibility embodied in viscoelasticity which leads to the production of a beneficial residual stress distribution following loading is discussed. Temperature has a marked effect on viscoelastic characteristics, and thus supplies an additional controlling variable in selecting a design solution. Cooling slows down rate processes so that it may be possible to eliminate deleterious aspects of viscoelasticity in a particular design problem by selecting an appropriate temperature history. The example of the production of toughened glass by the interaction of viscoelasticity and temperature effects is cited. Although viscoelastic stress analysis is usually applied to polymers and glasses, its influence also arises in design problems for metals in the creep range.