MORPHOLOGY AND DYNAMIC-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GLASS-BEADS FILLED LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITES

The dynamic mechanical properties of glass bead filled low density pol yethylene (LDPE) composites have been investigated using a dynamic mec hanical analyzer. With the addition of the glass bead volume fraction (phi(f)), the relative storage modulus and the relative loss modulus i ncrease non-linearly at 25 degrees C, but the damping reaction is oppo site to this. The effects of the glass bead size on the dynamic modulu s are insignificant except for individual data points. When the weight fraction (phi) of the glass beads is 10%, the values of the glass tra nsition temperature for the composites are greatly reduced. The dynami c moduli of the filled system, for which the surface of the glass bead s was pretreated with a silane coupling agent, is greater than that of the one in which the glass beads are untreated. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used to study the interfacial adhe sion between the inclusions and the matrix, as well as the particle di stribution in the matrix. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights re served.