Introduction to the Toughening of Polymers

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the background needed for subsequent chapters on toughened plastics. This chapter introduces the topic of fracture mechanics, describes the methods used to quantify toughness, discusses the origin of toughness in terms of toughening mechanisms, briefly reviews the factors influencing toughness, and comments on the latest advances in the science of the toughening of polymers. The main focus is on polymers blends toughened by a soft rubber phase although several alternative approaches are briefly mentioned. The purpose of this book is to present the latest advances in the field of toughened polymers so that the materials specialist can use these latest concepts to create new materials with improved toughness.