Peculiarities of Shape Recovery in Polymer Composites with Compacting Filler

Peculiarities of the shape memory effect development in composites based on the epoxy polymer and various fillers, such as thermoexpanded graphite, aerosils, metallized graphite, and basalt flakes, have been investigated. It has been determined that straining followed by the shape recovery of composites is accompanied by changes in their volume. Extent and character of the changes depend on the ability of fillers to compaction under pressure, deformation scheme, adsorption ability of the filler. It is shown that the combined deformation consisting of compression and stretching of specimens in different sequence gives structural states for which the longitudinal strain-transverse strain ratio can take zero, positive, or negative values