Fracture of mica‐reinforced polypropylene: Mica concentration effect

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Abstract
Concepts of post‐yield fracture mechanics were used to characterize the crack initiation and propagation resistances of mica‐reinforced polypropylene containing different mica concentrations. Although mica addition leads to an apparently brittle composite, the crack initiation resistance is slightly increased with mica concentration up to 10 percent by weight; and significant improvement in crack propagation performance was found for polypropylene reinforced by up to 20 percent of mica in comparison to that of virgin polypropylene. The debonding of the interface between mica flakes and the matrix leads to a micro‐ductility ahead of the crack tip in which the matrix is able to pull‐out from mica particles and to stretch. This micro‐ductility also prevents the brittle, unstable crack propagation, which is due to the coalescence of voids in pure polypropylene. Above 20 percent of mica, the reduction of the effective amount of the matrix material results in a substantial drop in the resistance to crack growth of mica‐reinforced polypropylene.