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Calcium Carbonate Filled Polyethylene
Calcium Carbonate Filled Polyethylene
www.elsevier.com/locate/compositesa
Abstract
The validity of the correlation between hardness and yield stress of particulate composite materials was investigated. Vickers hardness and
monotonic tensile and compression tests have been carried out on calcium carbonate–polyethylene composites at various testing speeds
ranging from 0.2 to 50 mm min 21. It was found that Tabor’s relation was conceivable when the yield stress was determined from compres-
sion test, but not from tensile test. This is associated with the difference in the role and degree of crack formation between two testing modes.
The correlation was also found to be rate dependent and Tabor’s relation was valid when the deformation rate in hardness and yield
determination tests were comparable. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Vickers
Table 1
Composition of composites
A0 0.00
A10 0.10
A20 0.20
A30 0.30
A40 0.40
2.1. Materials
Fig. 2. Influence of calcium carbonate volume fraction on tensile yield stress of composites.
356 J. Suwanprateeb / Composites: Part A 31 (2000) 353–359
Fig. 3. Influence of calcium carbonate volume fraction on compressive yield stress of composites.
Fig. 4. Fractography of composites showing the detachment of polyethylene matrix from the calcium carbonate surface; (a) A10; (b) A20; (c) A30; and (d) A40.
J. Suwanprateeb / Composites: Part A 31 (2000) 353–359 357
was initiated from failure of the interface region where the hardness and yield stress of materials will be in the same
fillers debonded from the matrix initiating microcrack with direction since the penetration of indenter in hardness is
statistically distributed sizes and direction. This debonding related to yielding of materials. Therefore, if the hardness
changed the recoverable elastic region to irrecoverable plas- number is increased, the yield stress of materials should
tic region which satisfied the general definition of yielding. increase similarly. However, this relationship is not obvious
Debonding is normally created at low stress level and then for particulate filled polymers. In this study, it was found
grows bigger leading to the interruption of load transfer to that the correlation between hardness and yield stress for
the matrix. Once the separation is sufficient, the sudden drop particulate filled polymer was possible when yield stress
of the load is observed which is a yielding phenomenon in was determined from compressive test only where compres-
load–elongation curve. When the samples were stressed sive yield stress increases with filler volume fraction as
further beyond yield point and the size of the cracks is similar as the hardness number. In the case of tensile
critically large, these cracks will grow rapidly as successive mode, the yield stress decreases with increasing filler
nucleation and microvoid coalescence leading to the failure content in contrast to the trend of hardness value which
of the whole material at last. increases instead. This discrepancy is obviously caused by
However, this phenomenon does not occur in compres- the response of two-phase system upon loading by different
sive test since the interface is in compressive state. There- stress mode. Although there have been reports on the corre-
fore, although the interface failure has occurred, possibly lation between hardness and tensile yield stress, it is clearly
due to the load-induced movement of calcium carbonate emphasized in this study and emphasize the fact that, more
particles through the matrix, the voids enlargement is correctly, the hardness should be related to compressive
limited since the force will tend to close such voids so the yield stress of materials, especially crack sensitive materi-
catastrophic failure is not initiated as in tensile mode. In als, although in some cases, hardness can be related to
addition, the presence of rigid fillers will also act as a retar- tensile yield stress for convenience.
dant of the deformation which comes from the frictional Not only the mode of applied load which is crucial in
force as the particles are forced to move through the matrix. correlating hardness and yield stress of particulate compo-
The compressive yield stress is thus increased with increas- site, but also the rate of the test. It is well known that poly-
ing amount of rigid fillers. mer is a viscoelastic material and its deformation behaviour
Fig. 5 shows the Vickers hardness values (Hv) of compo- is time dependent. Therefore, different rate of deformation
sites at various filler volume fraction. It is observed that the will cause the difference in properties of polymer [13–15].
hardness of composites nonlinearly increases with increas- Lower deformation rate results in the decrease in yield
ing amount of calcium carbonate. Theoretically, the trend of stress and modulus, but elongation at break increases. This
358 J. Suwanprateeb / Composites: Part A 31 (2000) 353–359
Fig. 6. Influence of testing speed and calcium carbonate volume fraction on the H=s y ratio in compressive mode.
J. Suwanprateeb / Composites: Part A 31 (2000) 353–359 359
Fig. 7. Influence of testing speed and calcium carbonate volume fraction on the H=s y ratio in tensile mode.