Influence of Rubber Distribution and Shape on Properties of Thermoplastic Vulcanizate: Finite Element Modeling

Introduction: Thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), as a rapidly developing green engineering material, its microstructure determines its comprehensive mechanical properties. However, there are few reports on the influence of the distribution and shape of rubber particles on the overall properties of TPV. Method: In order to overcome the shortcoming that traditional experimental methods cannot obtain the internal stress change process of materials, we have established a series of representative volume element (RVE) models with different particle distributions and shapes through the micromechanical finite element method. Results: The uniaxial tension and tension recovery of the models have been simulated. The results show that with the change of particle distribution and shape, the minimum elastic modulus of TPV based on ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) / polypropylene (PP) could reach 31.4 MPa and the highest resilience could reach 87.4%. Conclusion: In addition, it can be seen from the stress distribution nephogram that the change in particle distribution and shape would obviously change the position of the stress concentration area in TPV.