A polymethylmethacrylate cast sheet was stretched uni- or bi-axially with a thermoforming apparatus. Longitudinal stretch was given in ratios μ, between 1 and 4, and transverse stretch in ratios between 0.6 and 2.5. Maximum tensile strength,
Tλ or
Tμ and tensile breakage energy,
Pλ or
Pμ, were measured on 60mm×5mm rectangular test piece cut out along λ- or μ-direction and notched with a razor in 0.02-0.05mm depth at the middle point of the longer edge. Biaxial reinforcement was found only for the stretched sheets of about λ=μ=2.0. Solvent-stress-crazing was examined on (20-30) mm×5mm test piece bent to a state of 0.5 or 1.0% maximum outer fibre strain in saturated isopropanol vapour at 21°C by observing appearance of crazing after 24 hrs (0.5% strain corresponding approximately to 2000 psi stress in MIL-P-8184). Craze resistance increases with increase in stretch ratio in the stressed direction of the test piece but is independent of stretch ratio in the other directions. Three principal birefringences, (n
μ-n
ν), (n
ν-n
λ), and (n
λ-n
μ), were found to correlate linearly with their corresponding principal stretch ratio differences, (μ-ν), (ν-λ), and (λ-μ); and more closely than with the differences of their squares, (μ
2-ν
2), (ν
2-λ
2), and (λ
2-μ
2), in Treloar's theory. All experimental results could be plotted satisfactorily on a logarithmic stretch ratio plane, (logλ+logμ+logλ=0).
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