Experimental and morphological investigations of fracture behavior of PBT/TPEE

perties and can be processed via injection molding. This allows the mass production of high-quality components with high geometric accuracy. Their superior electrical isolation properties make them a good choice for electrical housings in the automotive sector. Due to the importance and precise nature of applications, in which such products are employed, many studies have investigated the properties of these materials. Polybutylenterephthalat (PBT) with thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), an impact-enhancing additive, is a typical example. Still, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of TPEE on mechanical and fracture behaviors of short-fiber-reinforced PBT and the effect of its microstructure on the dynamic performance. To study the characteristics of modified short-fiber-reinforced PBT and to assess the effect of the filament, two types of polymers - standard PBT-GF10 and PBT-GF10 blended with 10% TPEE - were compared. Morphological investigation of fracture surfaces produced in tensile tests at different loading rates was undertaken with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further two-dimensional image analysis was completed with the image processing software ImageJ. The morphological analysis showed that TPE-E generally affected the microstructure of the material. Micrographs of fracture surfaces demonstrated a decrease in the size of area of ductility with increasing loading rate. These results will support the development and design of optimized parts and their processing methods