Micromechanical modelling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) using a layered two-phase approach

The aim of this study is to assess the interactions between the constituent phases of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and thereby analyse the validity of a hybrid interaction model in a mean-field micromechanical model based on layered two-phase inclusions. Two different modelling approaches are used to simulate the behaviour of semicrystalline polymers. The first approach is the micromechanical model based on interactions of the crystalline lamellae and the adjacent amorphous layers. The second approach is a two-scale finite-element model of the spherulitic microstructure. Isotropic poly(ethylene terephthalate) is selected as the model material. The deformation mechanisms at the microscopic scale are examined. Various crystal geometries are used in the finite-element model to analyse the case when the crystalline regions do not form an interconnected network. It is shown that the predictions of the microscopic deformation measures obtained with the micromechanical and the finite-element models are similar. Experimental evaluation of the elastic moduli has been performed to further estimate the applicability of the micromechanical model to PET.