Experimental investigation of the low cycle fatigue crack propagation in PC/ABS polymer blends

Low cycle fatigue crack propagation (FCP) behavior of two PC/ABS blends with a weight ratio of PC to ABS being 80/20 and 60/40, respectively, is investigated. Experiments are carried out by using standard compact tension (CT) specimens. The fracture surfaces are examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is shown that the FCP resistance of PC/ABS blend with 20% ABS particles is higher than that of PC/ABS blend with 40% ABS particles. It is found that proper ABS particle content can result in the toughening of PC/ABS blends through particle cavitation and shear yielding in matrix. Project supported by the Excellent Young Teachers Program and the Research Foundation for Doctoral Project of the Ministry of Education of China.     

Effect of triaxial stress constraint on the deformation and fracture of polymers

One purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview on the research status of deformation, fracture and toughening mechanisms of polymers, including experimental, theoretical and numerical studies. Emphasis is on the more recent progresses of micromechanics of rubber particle cavitation and crazing, and the development of fracture criteria for ductile polymers. The other purpose is to study the effect of triaxial stress constraint on the deformation and fracture behavior of polymers. Polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS) and PC/ABS alloy are considered in this investigation. A series of circumferentially blunt-notched bars are used to experimentally generate different triaxial stress fields. The fracture surfaces of specimens with different notch radius are examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study the fracture and toughening mechanisms of polymer alloy. It is shown that the triaxial stress constraint has a significant effect on the deformation, fracture and toughening of PC, ABS and PC/ABS alloy. We will also discuss the extent to which a micromechanics criterion proposed by the first author can serve as a fracture criterion for ductile polymers. A new ductile fracture parameter is emphasized, which can be employed to evaluate the fracture ductility of polymers. Stress state independence of the parameter for the PC, ABS and PC/ABS alloy has been experimentally verified. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10125212), the Trans-Century Training Program Foundation and the Key Research Fund of the Education Ministry of China (01159)     

Investigation of tensile deformation behavior of PC,ABS, and PC/ABS blends from low to high strain rates

This paper experimentally studies the tensile deformation behavior of polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and PC/ABS blends (with the blending ratios of PC to ABS being 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, and 40:60) from low to high strain rates. Using the universal MTS-810 machine and the split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) testing system, the quasi-static and impact tension tests are carried out at the room temperature. The curves of the true stress and the true strain are obtained. The deformation behaviors of PC, ABS, and PC/ABS blends are characterized in detail. The linear relationship between the strain rate and the yielding stress is given.     

金属玻璃基复合材料的变形行为及本构关系研究综述

金属玻璃及其复合材料因其优良的力学性能而具有良好的应用前景,相关研究方兴未艾.本文主要总结国内外的研究成果并结合本课题组的最新研究工作,针对块体金属玻璃基复合材料的变形行为、增韧机理和本构关系研究现状进行较为全面的综述.首先,对近几十年来在块体金属玻璃基体材料的变形行为与失效机理以及本构关系研究方面的丰硕成果进行简要回顾.其次,从实验研究和数值模拟两方面,重点对金属玻璃基复合材料的变形行为与失效机理研究成果进行介绍,总结了金属玻璃基复合材料的塑性变形、增韧机理及影响因素.然后,对金属玻璃基复合材料的本构关系研究最新进展进行评述,重点介绍了均匀化方法在该领域的应用.作为代表,较为详细地介绍了作者新近提出的一个二次均匀化的方法,并在此基础上,结合纳米孔洞作为自变量的失效判据而建立了本构模型,该模型对金属玻璃基复合材料的变形和失效行为进行了合理预测.最后,对该领域的研究现状进行简单的总结,并对未来的研究问题进行展望.     

Three-dimensional micromechanical modeling of voided polymeric materials

A three-dimensional micromechanical unit cell model for particle-filled materials is presented. The cell model is based on a Voronoi tessellation of particles arranged on a body-centered cubic (BCC) array. The three-dimensionality of the present cell model enables the study of several deformation modes, including uniaxial, plane strain and simple shear deformations, as well as arbitrary principal stress states.The unit cell model is applied to studies on the micromechanical and macromechanical behavior of rubber-toughened polycarbonate. Different load cases are examined, including plane strain deformation, simple shear deformation and principal stress states. For a constant macroscopic strain rate, the different load cases show that the macroscopic flow strength of the blend decreases with an increase in void volume fraction, as expected. The main mechanism for plastic deformation is broad shear banding across inter-particle ligaments. The distributed nature of plastic straining acts to reduce the amount of macroscopic strain softening in the blend as the initial void volume fraction is increased. In the case of plane strain deformation, the plastic flow is observed to initiate across inter-particle ligaments in the direction of constraint. This particular mode of deformation could not have been captured using a two-dimensional, plane strain idealization of cylindrical voids in a matrix.The potential for localized crazing and/or cavitation in the matrix is addressed. It is observed that the introduction of voids acts to relieve hydrostatic stress in the matrix material, compared to the homopolymer. It is also seen that the predicted peak hydrostatic stress in the matrix is higher under plane strain deformation than under triaxial tension (with equal lateral stresses), for the same macroscopic stress triaxiality.The effect of void volume fraction on the macroscopic uniaxial tension behavior of the different blends is examined using a Considère construction for dilatant materials. The natural draw ratio was predicted to decrease with an increase in void volume fraction.     

高应变率大变形下的聚丙烯/尼龙共混高聚物损伤型本构特性

对两种采用不同相容剂的聚丙烯（PP）和尼龙（PA）共混高聚物材料在大变形下的粘弹性力学行为进行研究,着重考察应变率效应和损伤的演化,从而分析不同的界面分子设计对共混体系材料宏观性能的作用。在准静态及冲击实验研究的基础上,基于ZWT非线性粘弹性模型,并结合了遗传算法,分别得到了能有效描述两种共混高聚物大变形阶段计及损伤的非线性粘弹性本构关系。两种材料在不同加载条件下表现出明显不一致的性能,原因在于其损伤演化的率相关性,且两种材料的大变形机制存在一定的差别,能用ZWT方程进行描述的范围也不一样。     

The crack tip zone shielding effect for ductile particle reinforced brittle materials

The crack tip zone shielding effect for the ductile particle reinforced brittle materials is analyzed by using a micromechanics constitutive theory. The theory is developed here to determine the elastoplastic constitutive behavior of the composite. The elastoplastic particles, with isotropic or kinematical hardening, are uniformly dispersed in the brittle elastic matrix. The method proposed is based on the Mori-Tanaka's concept of average stress in the composite. The macroscopic yielding condition and the incremental stress strain relation of the composite during plastic deformation are explicity given in terms of the macroscopioc applied stress and the microstructural parameters of the composite such as the volume fraction and yield stress of ductile particles, elastic constants of the two phases, etc. Finally, the contribution of the plastic deformation in the particles near a crack tip to the toughening of the composite is evaluated. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China     

A physically-based constitutive model for anisotropic damage in rubber-toughened glassy polymers during finite deformation

The present work focuses on the development of a physically-based model for large deformation stress-strain response and anisotropic damage in rubber-toughened glassy polymers. The main features leading to a microstructural evolution (regarding cavitation, void aspect ratio, matrix plastic anisotropy and rubbery phase deformation) in rubber-toughened glassy polymers are introduced in the proposed constitutive model. The constitutive response of the glassy polymer matrix is modelled using the hyperelastic-viscoplastic model of [Boyce et al., 1988] and [Boyce et al., 2000]. The deformation mechanisms of the matrix material are accounted for by two resistances: an elastic-viscoplastic isotropic intermolecular resistance acting in parallel with a visco-hyperelastic anisotropic network resistance, each resistance being modified to account for damage effects by void growth with a variation of the void aspect ratio. The effective contribution of the hyperelastic particles to the overall composite behaviour is taken into account by treating the overall system in a composite scheme framework. The capabilities of the proposed constitutive model are checked by comparing experimental data with numerical simulations. The deformation behaviour of rubber-toughened poly(methyl methacrylate) was investigated experimentally in tension at a temperature of 80 °C and for different constant true strain rates monitored by a video-controlled technique. The reinforcing phase is of the soft core-hard shell type and its diameter is of the order of one hundred nanometers. The particle volume fraction was adjusted from 15% to 45% by increments of 5%. The stress-strain response and the inelastic volumetric strain are found to depend markedly on particle volume fraction. For a wide range of rubber volume fractions, the model simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, a parametric analysis demonstrates the importance of accounting for void shape, matrix plastic anisotropy and rubber content.     

Ductile reinforcements for enhancing fracture resistance in composite materials

Ductile reinforcements can supply fracture toughness to a polymer matrix by pulling out and by plastically deforming. In the case of metal reinforcements that are not in a toughened condition, there may be more toughening to be gained when the fibers remain in the matrix and plastically deform rather than pulling out. These fibers can be said to have an unused plastic potential. When these fibers bridge a crack, their plastic deformation causes a rise in the force which is trying to pull out the fiber. Because of this, the shape of the fiber must be adjusted along its length if it is to remain anchored and contribute its plastic work. The use of anchored, ductile fibers provides a new design axis that brings new possibilities not achievable by the current research focus on the fiber–matrix interface. This paper describes the experimental pullout of aligned ductile fibers from a polymer matrix, and indicates the effect of the shape and embedded length of the fiber on the toughness increase of the composite. Anchored, plastically deforming fibers are shown to provide a major improvement to the toughening. Even for unoptimized ductile fibers, the calculated toughening improvement equals or exceeds the toughening available from current short glass or graphite fibers. In addition, pullout values are obtained for fibers that are embedded at an angle, simulating fiber bridging from fibers not perpendicular to the crack surface. These results further demonstrate the toughening efficiency of ductile fibers.     

不同本构模型对橡胶制品有限元法适应性研究

为确定不同本构模型对橡胶制品进行非线性有限元分析的适应性,采用HyperMesh 和ABAQUS软件建立了橡胶标准试件和防尘罩制品的非线性有限元模型. 根据标准试件单轴拉伸试验数据,利用ABAQUS软件拟合了Mooney--Rivlin, Ogden 及Yeoh 3 种本构模型的特征参数,并给出了试件和制品轴向拉伸和压缩工况有限元分析结果. 实测试验与有限元分析结果对比发现:在应变不大于100% 时,两参数的Mooney--Rivlin本构模型计算误差较小;在应变大于100% 时, 用Yeoh 和Ogden 本构模型计算误差较小. 该结论对大变形橡胶元件的非线性特性理论分析具有实际意义.     

Micromechanics, macromechanics and constitutive modeling of the elasto-viscoplastic deformation of rubber-toughened glassy polymers

Under certain conditions, such as sufficiently low temperatures, high loading rates and/or highly triaxial stress states, glassy polymers display an unfavorable characteristic—brittleness. A technique used for reducing the brittleness (increasing the fracture toughness) of these materials is rubber toughening. While there is significant qualitative understanding of the mechanical behavior of rubber-toughened polymers, quantitative modeling tools for the large-strain deformation of rubber-toughened glassy polymers are largely lacking.In this paper, we develop a suite of numerical tools to investigate the mechanical behavior of rubber-toughened glassy polymers, with emphasis on rubber-toughened polycarbonate. The rubber particles are modeled as voids in view of their deformation-induced cavitation early during deformation. A three-dimensional micromechanical model of the heterogeneous microstructure is developed to study the effects of initial rubber particle (void) volume fraction on the underlying elasto-viscoplastic deformation mechanisms in the material, and how these mechanisms influence the macroscopic response of the material. A continuum-level constitutive model is developed for the large-strain elasto-viscoplastic deformation of porous glassy polymers, and it is calibrated against micromechanical modeling results for porous polycarbonate. The constitutive model can be used to study various boundary value problems involving rubber-toughened (porous) glassy polymers. As an example, the case of an axisymmetric notched bar is simulated for the case of polycarbonate with varying levels of initial porosity. The quality of the constitutive model calibration is assessed using a multi-scale modeling approach.     

Cyclic stress-softening model for the Mullins effect in compression

This paper models the cyclic stress softening of an elastomer in compression. After the initial compression the material is described as being transversely isotropic. We derive non-linear transversely isotropic constitutive equations for the elastic response, stress relaxation, residual strain, and creep of residual strain in order to model accurately the inelastic features associated with cyclic stress softening. These equations are combined with a transversely isotropic version of the Arruda–Boyce eight-chain model to develop a constitutive relation that is capable of accurately representing the Mullins effect during cyclic stress softening for a transversely isotropic, hyperelastic material, in particular a carbon-filled rubber vulcanizate. To establish the validity of the model we compare it with two test samples, one for filled vulcanized styrene–butadiene rubber and the other for filled vulcanized natural rubber. The model is found to fit this experimental data extremely well.     

Rheological model optimization using advanced evolutionary computation for the analysis of the influence of recycled rubber on rubber blend dynamical behaviour

Rheological models of tested rubber blend samples, with different ratios of smut/recycled material, were developed, analyzed and discussed according to experimental data. The experimental measurements show the dynamical behavior of these samples after a short-term axial load. The rheological model of samples was assumed as a viscoelastic Voigt-Maxwell and hyperelastic Mooney-Rivlin model. Real coded genetic algorithms were implemented for optimal model parameters identification in order to minimize the difference between the real sample behavior and dynamical model output. Numerical results obtained for analyzed mixture were compared with the original sample to verify the presented method. In purpose of predicting the dynamical characteristics for desirable rubber blends, an interrelation was formed based on the concentration of recycled material in sample blends and dynamical model parameters dependence.     

Extension of a multi-surface plasticity model to two-phase materials

The work reported in this paper is part of the ongoing research on the development of suitable elastic–plastic constitutive models for multiphase materials. This paper is concerned with the application of an elastic–plastic constitutive model based on the Mróz-multi-surface kinematic hardening rule to particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs). Details of the Mróz-based elastic–plastic constitutive model for PMMCs and its explicit implementation are presented to enhance the applicability of the model for a stress controlled simulation. Comparison between numerical predictions and experimental results is also presented for uniaxial loading and biaxial proportional and non-proportional loading paths. For the load paths tested, reasonable agreement is observed between the numerical and the experimental results.     

An elastoplasticity model in porous media theories

In this article, porous media theories are referred to as mixture theories extended by the well-known concept of volume fractions. This approach implies the diverse field functions of both the porous solid matrix and the pore fluid to be represented by average functions of the macroscale.The present investigations are based on a binary model of incompressible constituents, solid skeleton, and pore liquid, where, in the constitutive range, use is made of the second-grade character of general heterogeneous media. Within the framework of geometrically finite theories, the paper offers a set of constitutive equations for the solid matrix, the viscous pore liquid and the different interactions between the constituents. The constitutive model applies to saturated as well as to empty solid materials, taking into account the physical nonlinearities based on elasto-plastic solid deformations. In particular, the constitutive model concentrates on granular materials like soil or concrete, where the elastic deformations are usually small and the plastic range is governed by kinematically hardening properties.     

Dynamic rheology of the immiscible blends of liquid crystalline polymers and flexible chain polymers

Immiscible blends containing liquid crystalline polymers (LCP) as dispersed phases show different dynamic rheological properties than those composed of flexible polymers. The widely used Palierne’s model was shown by many authors to be insufficient to describe the frequency dependence of dynamic modulus of such blends. A new model was presented to describe the dynamic rheology of the immiscible blend containing LCP as a dispersed phase. The flexible chain polymer matrix was assumed to be a linear viscoelastic material under small amplitude oscillatory shear flow, and the LCP was assumed to be an Ericksen’s transversely isotropic fluid. The Rapini-Papoular equation of anisotropic interfacial energy was used to account for the effect of nematic orientation on the interfacial tension. It was found that the orientation of the director and the anchoring energy greatly influenced the storage modulus at the “shoulder” regime. The overall dynamic modulus of the blend can be well described by the model with suitable choice of the orientation of the director and anchoring energy of LCP.     

橡胶弹簧非线性刚度的有限元解

本文探讨了用双重非线性有限元手段，求解橡胶弹簧的非线性刚度。橡胶的本构关系采用了广义虎克定律和基于应变能的超弹性材料的本构关系联合使用的方案，用单元内的静水压力ｐ，来修正广义虎克定律的弹性常数Ｅ和Ｇ。还提出了带刚性域的超单元和波前凝聚法两种新的办法，获得橡胶弹簧的刚度，使内存用量和ＣＰＵ时间大幅度下降。因而几何、物理双重非线性橡胶弹簧的计算，能在微机上实现。文内选用英国ＤＵＮＬＯＰ橡胶公司橡胶元件     

A simple method of evaluating the complex moduli of polystyrene blends

In the search for a workable mixing rule, use was made of experimental data for complex moduli of melts of narrow molar mass distribution polystyrenes and their homogeneous blends. In the course of this work two basic observations were made as to the nature of the relaxation time spectra of these blends:

1. The relaxation strength (a product of the weight fraction and the plateau modulus) of a component of large molecules is reduced by the presence of shorter molecules, the latter molecules acting like ordinary diluent molecules even if their molar masses are larger thenM _c .
2. The relaxation time of a molecule (known from measurements on the respective monodisperse component) is considerably changed by the blending. The width of the distribution of relaxation times, as expected from the known composition of the blend, is significantly reduced.

For both processes approximate empirical equations could be found. It turned out that, after the application of the required modifications, the complex moduli of the components could successfully be added in order to obtain the complex moduli of the blend at circular frequencies characteristic for the flow and rubber transition regions. On the basis of these results one may expect that for the melt of any linear polymer the linear viscoelastic properties can be evaluated with reasonable accuracy from the knowledge of the molar mass distribution.     

The influence of epoxy resin on the morphological and rheological properties of PET/PA66 blend

Interfacial reactions have dominant effects on the morphological and rheological properties of compatibilized polymer blends. This work aims to investigate the effect of epoxy resin, as a coupling agent, on the interface properties and subsequent influences on the morphological and rheological properties of polyethylene terephthalate/polyamide66 (PET/PA66) blend. PET/PA66 70/30 blends with different amount of bisphenol A epoxy resin (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt.%) were prepared. SEM micrographs show reduction in droplet size with increasing epoxy resin concentration, confirming the reactive compatibilizing effect of the epoxy resin. Reactions at the interface of the PET-EP-PA66 blend are confirmed by FTIR spectra. Shear viscosity results demonstrates that adding epoxy resin could suppress the interfacial slip at the blend interphase. Obtained results from storage modulus (G′) curves show the presence of one plateau for the blends at low frequency region; nevertheless, relaxation spectra indicate the presence of two more relaxation mechanisms than precursors which are related to the shape relaxation of droplets and the interface relaxation. The presence of the interface relaxation time in the blend without epoxy resin can prove the presence of reactions between two condensation polymers; however, adding the epoxy resin results in reducing both relaxation time and interfacial tension and increasing interfacial shear modulus. These observations indicate that the epoxy resin has been successful to boost the reactions at the interface between two polymers. Fitting the obtained experimental data using Palierne model indicates that the general Palierne model could describe rheological properties of the blends very well.