Polymer matrix composites, filled rheological behavior

Short fiber reinforcement of TPEs has recently opened up a new era in the field of polymer technology. Vajrasthira et al. [22] studied the fiber-matrix interactions in short aramid fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites. Campbell and Goettler [23] reported the reinforcement of TPE matrix by Santoweb fibers, whereas Akhtar et al. [24] reported the reinforcement of a TPE matrix by short silk fiber. The reinforcement of thermoplastic co-polyester and TPU by short aramid fiber was reported by Watson and Prances [25]. Roy and coworkers [26-28] studied the rheological, hysteresis, mechanical, and dynamic mechanical behavior of short carbon fiber-filled styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) block copolymers and TPEs derived from NR and high-density polyethylene (HOPE) blends. 

The investigations of model compositions, based on linear elastomers and various fillers, have shown that the yield stress also may be characterized by the value of the complex shear modulus measured at various frequencies. The dependence of the dynamic modulus on the filler concentration characterizes critical concentrations of the filler, above which the viscoelastic behavior of composition drastically changes. Dynamic modulus corresponding to the yield stress does not depend on the matrix viscosity or its nature. This fact indicates a predominant role of the structural frame for rheological properties of filled polymers. 

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