Effective properties and size effects in filled polymers

✍ Scribed by Michael Johlitz; Holger Steeb; Ralf Jänicke; Stefan Diebels

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 417 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0936-7195
• DOI: 10.1002/gamm.200890012

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Filled polymers are of special interest according to their superior mechanical properties. Special attention is given to nano‐filled polymers where not only the volume fraction but also the internal surface has a significant contribution to the effective properties. In the present contribution the increase in stiffness with decreasing size of the fillers at constant volume fraction of the fillers is modelled by a phenomenological, i.e. continuum‐based, approach taking into account large deformations. The proposed multiphase model allows for a systematic investigation of increasing surface‐to‐volume ratio which becomes important for micro‐ and nanosized fillers. The numerical treatment of the proposed model is based on a coupled Galerkin finite element formulation. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)