CaCO3[U|vsĖjóķņŦ
Fracture Toughness of CaCO3-filled Polypropylene
IR ėEŽāVčv
Kuriyama, Takashi / Narisawa, Ikuo
The mechanical properties of particle-filled-polymer composites depend on the shape and size of particles and the state of dispersion. In this study, we examined the effect of surface treatment of the particles on the fracture behavior of CaC03 filled polypropylene (PP) in terms of the J-integral based on non linear fracture mechanics. While neat PP showed semi-brittle fracture, particle filled PP fractured in a ductile manner showing the initiation of small cavitation around the particles. The cavitation enhanced plastic deformation of the matrix material between their cavities. PP filled with untreated particles showed reduced toughness. The development of the damage zone during ductile crack growth for untreated particle-filled-specimens showed a small difference from that of specimens filled with stearic acid treated particles. The large voids, which initiated from several agglomerates of the particles within the damage zone of untreated particle filled PP, connected easily with each other at a lower loading and a lower deformation energy level.
Key words: Fracture / Toughness / Particle-filled-polymer / Damage zone / Cavitation