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Brittle–Ductile Transitions of Rubber Toughened Polypropylene Blends: A Review

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Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) blended with rubber particles has been recognized for significantly increasing impact resistance, which is increasingly demanded in industries such as electric vehicles and consumer electronics. However, a comprehensive understanding of the toughening mechanisms underlying these lightweight impact-resistant materials is imperative for future research. This article provides a detailed review of the ductile-to-brittle (DB) transition behavior and the improvements in impact resistance observed in rubber-toughened PP blends. Firstly, the fracture behavior of homogeneous PP is summarized across different strain rates and temperatures, including the DB transition and yielding and crazing criteria. Furthermore, the influence of notches and defects on the DB transition is discussed extensively. Subsequently, the article examines the theoretical and practical aspects of the toughening mechanisms facilitated by the rubber phase in PP-rubber blends. The percolation model is used to investigate the inter-distance criterion between neighboring rubber particles and the impact of particle size and content on toughening behavior. The primary objective of this article is to enhance the understanding of the toughening behavior exhibited by PP and rubber blends. Additionally, this study aims to provide valuable insights for developing advanced lightweight materials using PP-based blends for various industrial applications.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) through the Virtual Engineering Platform Program (P0022334). It was also supported by a Korea University fund. The authors would like to extend their special thanks to the late Dr. Yuri Shulkin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical System Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, 61 Daehak-ro, Gumi, Gyeongbuk, 39177, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Wook Wee

  2. Department of Civil and Materials Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 842W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Alexander Chudnovsky

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea

    Byoung-Ho Choi

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Contributions

J-WW: Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, visualization. AC: Conceptualization, resources, methodology. B-HC: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, resources, writing—review and editing, investigation, supervision, project administration.

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Correspondence to Byoung-Ho Choi.

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Wee, JW., Chudnovsky, A. & Choi, BH. Brittle–Ductile Transitions of Rubber Toughened Polypropylene Blends: A Review. Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-023-00581-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-023-00581-w

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