Interrelationship between ultimate mechanical properties of variously structured polyurethanes and poly(urethane urea)s and stretching rate thereof

The ultimate mechanical properties of polyurethane determine their possible applications under various conditions of mechanical action. The mechanical properties of nine polyurethane and polyurethane urea samples were investigated in a range of stretching rates 0.56÷0.002 s⁻¹. A part of experiments was performed at several temperature values under conditions of stepwise variable stretching rates. The interrelationship between rate dependence of strength–strain properties of polyurethane compositions and the structure thereof was ascertained. The influence of molecular structure’s variations, of physical network density and of segmented polyurethane and polyurethane urea morphology on said interrelationship was examined on samples subjected to large strain values. The structure of some samples was radically distorted by plasticizers oppositely influencing micro-phase segregation of soft and hard segments. Multiple kinds of dependency (direct, inverse, moderate and strong) of elastomers’ strength versus stretching rate were demonstrated. Produced data and ascertained regularities are useful to perceive reasons for diversity of mechanical behavior of polyurethane materials and to control properties thereof.