A. Benard, MODEL FOR PHASE-CHANGE KINETICS IN POLYMER COMPOSITES WITH SIGNIFICANT FIBER SURFACE NUCLEATION, Acta materialia, 46(15), 1998, pp. 5259-5270
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Material Science","Metallurgy & Metallurigical Engineering
A model for the isothermal crystallization of fiber-reinforced polymer
s with significant nucleation on the fibers is presented. The model is
based on exact and approximate expressions for the volume of intersec
tion between a cylinder and a sphere located on the outside radius of
the cylinder which allows to account for the effects of the fibers on
the overall crystallization process. The crystallization process is di
vided into time frames according to the validity of the solutions for
the volume of intersection. The evolution of the crystallinity is comp
uted for both thermal and athermal nucleation processes. The accelerat
ing effect of fiber-nucleated spherulites on the overall crystallizati
on process is demonstrated with simple examples in which parameters su
ch as the fiber volume fraction, the fiber radius, the nucleation dens
ity and an induction time are changed. Limitations of the current mode
l are also discussed. (C) 1998 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Els
evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.