An Extensive Review on the Viscoelastic-plastic and Fractural Mechanical Behaviour of ETFE Membranes

Abstract

The present article is a review of ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) material, with emphasis on the mechanical and fractural behaviour, considering that the material is becoming one of the most promising façades and roof materials due to its advantageous properties. This paper examines the basic chemical makeup of this copolymer and details the elastic-plastic and viscous properties through selected studies in the field. The paper also reviews the available phenomenological, continuum mechanical or rheological constitutive models focusing on the engineering application to the corresponding phenomena. A separate part of the article covers the existing fractural mechanical research on ETFE.