Thermodynamic theory for characterizing thermo-mechanical response of polymers during crystallization

Based on continuum thermodynamics of solids, a theoretical structure is developed s to characterize the thermo-mechanical effects of polymer crystallization. A material restriction is used to impose an empirically used scalar relation between temperature, the degree of crystallinity, and volume. This and the restriction imposed by the entropy production inequality are used to relate the Cauchy stress and entropy to the free energy, and also to provide a restriction on the rate of crystallization. This concepts of melting temperature, heat of crystallization, and heat capacity are developed in the context of the proposed structure. Elements of a specific model for natural rubber are presented.