AbstractThe mechanical properties of a system consisting of a bisphenol A diglycidylether (DGEBA) expoxy, cured with a cycloaliphatic diamine (4,4′‐diamino‐3,3 dimethyldicyclohexyl‐methane, 3DCM), in the presence of an epoxy‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile random copolymer (ETBN), was studied as a function of the cure schedule and the initial rubber concentration. Fracture toughness (KIc) and fracture energy (GIc) were increased, while Young's modulus and yield strength decreased slightly with increasing volume fraction of the dispersed phase. We show that there is no significant influence of the precure schedule and of the various observed particle diameters on the mechanical properties for a constant rubber volume fraction. In our case, the main deformation process in the rubber‐modified epoxy networks is shear yielding while cavitation
展开▼
