Sequences of fracture toughness micromechanisms in PP/CaCO3 nanocomposites

✍ Scribed by R. Lesan Khosh; R. Bagheri; S. Zokaei

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 689 KB
• Volume: 110
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/app.28909

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Mechanical properties and fracture toughness micromechanisms of copolypropylene filled with different amount of nanometric CaCO~3~ (5–15 wt %) were studied. J‐integral fracture toughness was incorporated to measure the effect of incorporation of nanoparticle into PP matrix. Crack‐tip damage zones and fracture surfaces were studied to investigate the effect of nanofiller content on fracture toughness micromechanisms. It was found that nanofiller acted as a nucleating agent and decreased the spherulite size of polypropylene significantly. J‐integral fracture toughness (J~c~) of nanocomposites was improved dramatically. The J~c~ value increased up to approximately two times that of pure PP at 5 wt % of nano‐CaCO~3~. The fracture micromechanisms varied from rubber particles cavitation and shear yielding in pure PP to simultaneous existence of rubber particles cavitation, shear yielding, filler particles debonding, and crazing in PP/CaCO~3~ nanocomposites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008