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The fracture toughness of polypropylene containing poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers
Author(s) -
Hamer J. W.,
Woodhams R. T.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760211006
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , polypropylene , fracture toughness , toughness , polyester , brittleness , izod impact strength test , molding (decorative) , modulus , fiber , fracture (geology) , impact energy , ultimate tensile strength
The fracture toughness of polypropylene was increased tenfold by the addition of 30 volume percent of chopped poly(ethylene terephthalate) rovings without any appreciable sacrifice in strength or modulus. The resulting fracture toughness was independent of temperature to −40°C. For maximum effectiveness the rovings must be integrated so that the component filaments cannot disperse during the processing and injection molding stages. The three different methods employed to measure fracture toughness showed good correlation with each other and confirmed the general utility of the Izod test (with slight modification) as a measure of fracture energy. The increased toughness was attributed almost entirely to frictional energy losses during fiber pullout. Polyester fibers can be useful additives for increasing the fracture toughness of brittle resins where processing temperatures do not preclude their use.