Abstract
The effects of coupling effect, particle diameter (d), volume fraction (Vb) and size distribution (σ) of glass beads on the impact strength and tensile modulus of polypropylene (PP)/glass bead composites have been investigated. The toughness and stiffness of the composite can be simultaneously enhanced by using a titanate coupling agent, which gives rise to a moderate interfacial adhesion (characterized by an interaction parameter B -1) between the glass beads and the matrix. With the addition of this coupling agent, the impact strength of the PP/glass bead composite with d = 2.7 μm and σ = 1.85 increases about 4.5 times as Vbincreases from 0 to 0.25, while the tensile modulus remains roughly unchanged. For the composites with larger d and narrower size distribution, the impact strength increases only slightly with increasing Vb. The combined effects of d, Vband size distribution of the glass beads are described by using a single parameter, the average matrix ligament thickness T̄. Unlike rubber-modified polymers, the impact strength of PP/glass bead composites does not follow a master curve when plotted against T̄.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 53-59 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Polymer Composites |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2003 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ceramics and Composites
- General Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry