Predicting effective elastic moduli and strength of ternary blends with core-shell structure by second-order two-scale method

Core-shell particle-filled PA6/EPDM-g-MA/HDPE ternary blend has excellent mechanical properties. In this paper, effective elastic properties and tensile yield strength of the ternary blend are predicted by the second-order two-scale method, to investigate the relationship between morphology and mechanical properties. The method and the limit analysis for predicting mechanical properties of random heterogeneous materials are briefly introduced. Realistic morphology of the ternary blend including both core-shell particles and pure particles is simulated, and finite element mesh is generated. The unified strength theory is embedded in the method for the convenience of selecting a suitable yield criterion. The effective elastic moduli and tensile yield strength predicted by the method in this paper are compared with analytical and experimental results. Finally, effect of shell thickness in the core-shell particles on the effective elastic moduli and tensile yield strength is investigated. Copyright © 2014 Tech Science Press.