A mechanical model for the deformational behavior of the polymeric membranes operating in pressure-driven processes

A mechanical model consisting of three elements (elastic, viscoelastic, and plastic) is proposed to describe the deformational behavior of a polymeric membrane operating in a pressure-driven process. The changes in the membrane thickness are proposed to be calculated from the experimentally obtained flux data. The advantages of a mechanical model over the conventional method of hysteresis area measurement as the mechanical stability of the polymeric membranes are discussed. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.