Rubber toughening and damage competition theory. In material selection it is important to look at the interaction between the matrix and the secondary phase. For example, crosslinking within the rubber phase will promote high strength fibril formation that will toughen the rubber, preventing particle fracture. Carboxyl-terminated butadiene-acrylotnitrile (CTBN) is often used to toughen epoxies, but using CTBN alone increases the toughness at the cost of stiffness and heat resistance. Amine-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (ATBN) is also used. Using ultra-fine full-vulcanized powdered rubber (UFPR) researchers have been able to improve all three, toughness, stiffness, and heat resistance simultaneously, resetting the stage for rubber toughening
Rubber toughening as if the rubber was not present. As temperature increases past the glass transition temperature, the rubber phase will increase the crack initiation energy. At this point the crack self-propagates due to the stored elastic energy in the material. As temperature rises further past the glass transition of the rubber phase, the impact strength of a rubber-polymer composite still dramatically increases as crack propagation requires additional energy input. Epoxy resins are a highly useful class of materials used in engineering applications. Some of these include use for adhesives, fiber-reinforced composites, and electronics coatings. Their rigidity and low crack propagation resistance