An analytical study of cavitation in rubber-toughened polymers

An analysis is presented to study the cavitation of rubber particles, and its influence on the mechanical properties of rubber-toughened polymers. This analysis is developed from our previous analytical method using a quasi-sphere model to determine the mechanical properties of rubber-toughened polymers without a cavity. The behaviour of the rubber particle is described by Ogden's formulation and large deformation theory is used to explain the behaviour. Both initiation and elastic deformation of the cavity are considered. The method is simple and the formulas (including the cavitation criterion) are explained so that they can be used easily. It has been found that even a small defect in a rubber sphere has a significant influence on the bulk modulus of the rubber sphere and the properties of the composite material.