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Multiscale modeling of interface debonding effect on mechanical properties of nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Hosseini Seyyed Ahmad,
SaberSamandari Saeed,
Maleki Moghadam Reza
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.23639
Subject(s) - materials science , interphase , nanocomposite , composite material , volume fraction , representative elementary volume , modulus , nanoparticle , elastic modulus , particle (ecology) , particle size , microstructure , nanotechnology , genetics , oceanography , geology , biology , chemistry
Mechanical behavior of SiO 2 nanoparticle‐epoxy matrix composites was investigated via finite element analysis with an emphasis on the nanofiller‐interphase debonding effect using a three‐dimensional nanoscale representative volume element (RVE). The new model, in which a cohesive zone material (CZM) layer is considered as an inclusion‐interphase bonding, can be applied to polymer nanocomposites reinforced by inclusions of different forms, including spherical, cylindrical, and platelet shapes. Upon validation by experimental data, the model was used to study the effects of interphase properties, nanoparticle size, and inclusion volume fraction on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. According to the results, taking into account the inclusion‐interphase debonding provides more precise results compared with perfect bonding, especially in nanocomposites with nanoparticles of smaller size. Moreover, the outcomes disclosed that the amount of changes in the elastic modulus by particle size variation is higher when the relative thickness (the interphase thickness to the particle diameter ratio) increases. For relative thicknesses lower than a critical value, the particle size and the interphase properties have negligible effect on the elastic modulus of the nanocomposite, and the elastic modulus of nanocomposite mostly depends on nanofiller content. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:789–796, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers