MODELING OF THE TOUGHENING MECHANISMS IN RUBBER-MODIFIED EPOXY POLYMERS .1. FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS STUDIES

The finite element method has been employed to study the micromechanics and micromechanisms in rubber-toughened cross-linked-epoxy polymers. A two-dimensional plane-strain model has been proposed and has successfully been used to identify the stress fields associated with the dispersed rubbery phase and to simulate the initiation and growth of localized plastic shear-bands running between the rubbery particles. The effects of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the multiphase polymer on the nature and magnitude of the stress fields have also been examined.