Overview

This book deals with the micromechanical characterization of polymer materials. It emphasizes microhardness as a technique capable of detecting a variety of morphological and textural changes in polymers. The authors provide a comprehensive introduction to the microhardness of polymers, including descriptions of the various testing methods in materials science and engineering. They also discuss the micromechanical study of glassy polymers and the relevant aspects of microhardness of semicrystalline polymers. Numerous application examples of the microhardness technique for the characterization of polymeric materials help readers develop a solid understanding of the material. These real world examples include the influence of polymer processing, the use in weathering tests, the characterization of modified polymer surfaces, and others. This book will be of use to graduate level materials science students, as well as research workers in materials science, mechanical engineering and physics departments interested in the microindentation hardness of polymer materials.