Simulation Of Thermally Induced Stresses In Glass-Polymer Composites

Due to differences in thermal expansion, crazing and delamination effects are observed in multiphase materials such as glass-polymer composites. For a composite consisting of spherical particles homogeneously embedded in a matrix phase, the radial and tangential stresses occurring have been simulated. Two-dimensional calculations were used as a basis for optimising the optical transparency of the material which was found to be strongly affected by the mechanical properties of the constituents of the composite and the resulting stresses. Further, the influence of the shape and the size distribution of the particles on the emergence of scattering surfaces inside the material is described.