Abstract
It is unclear fracture perfonnance can benefit from well exfoliated clays at nanoscale in polymer matrices. The size and length scales of nanoclay particles do not offer crack bridging, deflection, debonding or cavitation mechanisms. However, our investigations using continuum fracture mechanics and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in nanoclay-reinforced polypropylene demonstrated increases in plastic zone size proportional to the increases in fracture toughness and the relative invariant measured from SAXS. Our results reinforced the notion that it is plausible for nanoscale reinforcements to play a toughening role in addition to strengthening and stiffening contributions. The correlation between the toughness increase and the matrix plastic defonnation was evident.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Composites Technologies For 2020 |
| Publisher | Woodhead Publishing Limited |
| Pages | 713-718 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781855738317 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- General Materials Science