Creep measurements confirm steady flow after stress maximum in extension of branched polymer melts

We provide conclusive evidence of nonmonotonic mechanical behavior in the extension of long-chain branched polymer melts. While nonmonotonic behavior is known to occur for solids, for the case of polymeric melts, this phenomenon is in direct contrast with current theoretical models. We rule out the possibility of the overshoot being an experimental artifact by confirming the existence of steady flow after a maximum in the ratio of stress to strain rate versus strain under both constant stress and constant strain-rate kinematics. This observation indicates the omission of important physics from current models for these industrially important materials, whose processing properties depend on extreme molecular extension.