Halpin-Tsai equations shear modulus

As in the case of the transverse tensile modulus, 2. the above analysis tends to underestimate the in-plane shear modulus. Therefore, once again it is common to resort to empirical relationships and the most popular is the Halpin-Tsai equation... 

The Halpin-Tsai equations represent a semiempirical approach to the problem of the significant separation between the upper and lower bounds of elastic properties observed when the fiber and matrix elastic constants differ significantly. The equations employ the rule-of-mixture approximations for axial elastic modulus and Poisson s ratio [Equations. (5.119) and (5.120), respectively]. The expressions for the transverse elastic modulus, Et, and the axial and transverse shear moduli, Ga and Gf, are assumed to be of the general form... 

The modulus and yield kinetic parameters of the block polymer B can be related to those of the homopolymer in terms of a microcomposite model in which the silicone domains are assumed capable of bearing no shear load. Following Nielsen (10) we successfully applied the Halpin-Tsai equations to calculate the ratio of moduli for the two materials. This ratio of 2 is the same as the ratio of the apparent activation volumes. Our interpretation is that the silicone microdomains introduce shear stress concentrations on the micro scale that cause the polycarbonate block continuum to yield at a macroscopic stress that is half as large as that for the homopolymer. The fact that the activation energies are the same however indicates that aside from this geometric effect the rubber domains have little influence on the yield mechanism. 

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