The Effect of Particle-Matrix Interface on the Local Mechanical Properties of Filled Polymer Composites: Simulations and Theoretical Analysis

A finite element model of the local mechanical response of a filled polymer composite to uniaxial compression is presented. The interfacial layer between filler particles and polymer matrix is explicitly modeled as a third phase of the composite. Unit cells containing one or several anisometric filler particles surrounded by interface shells are considered. The dependence of the mechanical response of the cells to external deformation on the interface thickness and stiffness is studied. The use of the particle-matrix interface as a damping tool in mesoscopic polymer-composite problems with large deformations is discussed. The influence of the interface on the anisotropy of the composite response is considered.