Ductile-to-ductile transition in dispersely filled composites based on thermoplastic polymers

The fracture mechanism for rubber-filled composites based on gutta-percha, LDPE, medium-density PE, and rubber particles has been studied. An increase in the concentration of filler particles leads to a change in the stress-strain behavior of the composites from neck propagation to homogeneous plastic deformation. For the filled composites, the criterion for the ductile-to-ductile transition is the equality of yield and draw stresses. The critical concentration of rubber particles at the ductile-to-ductile transition is controlled by the ratio between the yield stress of matrix polymer and the neck propagation stress. Transition from neck propagation to homogeneous plastic flow of the material is accomplished under two conditions: the breaking strength of the polymer matrix should be higher than the yield stress, and stretching of the composite should not be accompanied by the formation of diamond cracks. The latter condition is fulfilled when the dimensions of rubber particles are below a certain critical value, which is determined by the ductility of the matrix.