Viscoelastic Properties and Characterization of Inorganic Particulate-Filled Polymer Composites

To identify effects of glass bead (GB) content on the dynamic mechanical properties of filled low-density-polyethylene (LDPE) composites, the storage modulus, loss modulus, glass transition temperature, and mechanical damping of these composites were measured using a Du Pont dynamical mechanical analysis instrument in temperature range from -150 to 100 degrees C. It was found that the storage modulus increased nonlinearly with an increase of the GB volume fraction. On the basis of Eshelby's method and Mori's work, an equation describing the relationship between the relative storage modulus (E-R') and filler volume fraction for polymeric composites was proposed, and the E-R' of LDPE/GB composites were estimated by means of this equation at temperatures of -25, 0, and 25 degrees C, and the calculations were compared with the experimental data, good agreement was showed between the predictions and the measured data. Furthermore, this equation was verified by the experimental from Al(OH)(3) filled EPDM composites at glassy state reported in a reference. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 114: 3955-3960, 2009