Macroscopic Behavior and Damage of a Particulate Composite with a Crosslinked Polymer Matrix

Abstract

Particulate composites with crosslinked polymer matrix and solid fillers are one of the important classes of materials which are commonly applied as construction materials, high-performance engineering materials, sealants, protective organic coatings, dental materials, or solid explosives. This contribution is focused on the estimation of the macroscopic mechanical properties of particulate composites with a crosslinked polymer matrix. Extended numerical calculations on the base of the finite element method were performed to estimate stress–strain curves of polymer matrix composite. The numerical determination of the effective properties of particulate composites involved the calculation of the stress and strain fields for a representative volume element (RVE) that simulates the microstructure of the composite. Unit cells containing particles were used to determine the corresponding macro strength. Numerical simulations took into account the nonlinear material properties of the crosslinked polymer matrix. A simple damage model was used to simulate the matrix failure. The mechanical properties obtained from the computations are compared with experimental data and very good agreement has been found. The methodology presented can be used for estimation of mechanical properties of particulate composite with a crosslinked polymer matrix.