THERMOELASTIC RESULTS ON RUBBERLIKE NETWORKS AND THEIR BEARING ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF ELASTICITY THEORY.

This bibliography-based review paper outlines the general approach and basic features of network thermoelasticity, surveying results from those studies most relevant with regard to the evaluation of the validity of the basic postulate of the elasticity theory. The subject is discussed under headings: introduction; theory; some experimental details; examples of thermoelastic data; a survey of pertinent thermoelastic and related results (choice of thermodynamic constraints, crosslinking conditions, degree of crosslinking, type of deformation, swelling of the network, related calorimetric results, related viscosity-temperature results). It is concluded that the basic postulate of rubber elasticity theory, namely that intermolecular interactions are independent of chain configuration and the configurations of network chains are random in the undeformed polymer network have been abundantly verified by a great variety of experimental evidence.