Polypropylene-rubber blends: 3. the effect of test speed on the fracture behaviour

Polypropylene–EPDM blends were prepared on a twin screw extruder with a rubber content 0–40 vol%. On these materials the yield strength and the notched tensile behaviour was studied as function of test speed (10−4–10 m/s). With an infrared temperature camera the heat development in the notched samples is studied as function of test speed. On fractured materials the structure of the deformation zone is studied in the middle of the sample, perpendicular to the fracture plane. The yield strength increases with the strain rate and at high rates this increase is stronger. The fracture energy shows a complex relationship with test speed. At low test speeds the fracture energy decreases rapidly with test speed. At intermediate test speeds however the fracture energy increases with increasing test speed. On the micrographs of the high speed deformed samples the formation of a melt zone was observed. The temperature rise in the notched samples starts at approximately 10−5 m/s, and increases almost linearly with the logarithm of the test speed. At 10 m/s a surface temperature increase to 90°C was observed.