Effect Of Rubber Particle Size Distribution On Fracture Toughness Of Rubber-Modified Polymer Alloys

Husaini

Abstract: This paper describes a numerical study on the effects of the distribution of rubber particles size on the fracture toughness of rubber-modified polymer alloys. FEM analyses were conducted on a deformation field near a crack tip under mode I for a small scale yielding condition. Area near the crack tip is modelled as a composite of matrix materials and rubber particles. On the other hand, the outer region is modelled as a homogeneous material which its constitutive equation has been obtained by analysing a unit cell model of matrix and rubber particle. Perfect bonding or partial debonding of the interface is assumed in the computation. Matrix and rubber particles are treated as Mises and Mooney-Rivlin materials, respectively. It is shown that energy flux into fracture process zone, integral is smaller for bimodal type than monomodal one. This behavior largely occurred on the partial debonding case. These results imply that the screening effects occurred in the bimodal type was larger than monomodal one.