Research article

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The viscoelastic nature of the Poisson’s ratio of a semicrystalline poly (butylene terephthalate) is highlighted by investigating its dependence on time, temperature and strain rate, under two types of loading conditions: i) constant deformation rate tests, in which the transverse strain is measured in tensile ramps at various temperatures and at two strain rates; and ii) constant deformation tests, in which, under a constant axial deformation, the transverse strain is measured as a function of time in isothermal experiments performed at various temperatures. In both testing configurations, axial and transverse deformations are measured by means of a biaxial contact extensometer, and a correction procedure is adopted in order to compensate the lateral penetration of the extensometer knives. Poisson’s ratio displays the typical features of a retardation function, increasing with time and temperature, and decreasing with strain rate. This behaviour has been compared to that of simultaneously measured relaxation modulus.