| Abstract: | Mode II fracture behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)-modified epoxy systems are studied. Two different types of testing for mode II fracture are conducted. One was to investigate the fracture behavior of bulk epoxy systems, in comparison with mode I fracture, using single-edge notched specimens under skew symmetric four-point loading. The other was to investigate the fracture behavior of epoxy layers sandwiched between aluminium adherends using compact shear specimens. The mode II fracture toughness obtained from the former for modified systems has been found to increase significantly over the control, although the increase of mode I fracture toughness for modified systems over the control is moderate. This finding is discussed in relation with cavitation and equivalent mode I stress intensity factor and also in comparison with rubber-modified epoxy systems in the literature to account for the increase. In addition, the difference in fracture morphology between mode I and II is discussed. Mode II fracture toughness obtained from the latter for modified systems has also been found to increase significantly over the control. Morphology of fracture surfaces relating to this finding is discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 405–415, 1998 |
