The Mechanical Properties of Rubber Particles in Rubber-Reinforced Glassy Polymers

Abstract The effect of thermal stresses on mechanical properties of the rubber particle in rubber-reinforced glassy polymers is studied. It is found that the rubber particle in the glassy polymer tends to be softer than the one in its stress-free state because of thermally induced hydrostatic tension which lowers the glass temperature of the rubber particle. The analysis is applied to the case of ABS, and the results show that the shift of glass temperature is significant near the Tg of the rubber particle in its free state. The change in the mechanical properties of the rubber particle in ABS due to the shift is also analyzed.