Fracture behavior of polycarbonate/polyestercarbonate blends

Fracture behaviors of polycarbonate (PC)/polyestrercarbonate (PEC) blends and their miscibility have been examined to find out the mechanism of ductilie-brittle transition of fracture behavior which would be a main governing factor on the thickness sensitivity of impact strength of PC. T_g measurement showed that PEC with a carbonate content higher than 30 mol% was miscible with PC. In the notched Izod impact test of PC, ductile-brittle transition occurred in the range of 4 to 5 mm thickness. The impact strength of miscible PC/PEC5 blends ductile-fractured in the thin specimens decreased with increasing PEC5 content, which was in accordance with the decrease of elongation at break in tensile test. In the brittle fracture of the thick specimens, the impact strength was well correlated with the plastic zone size in the vicinity of the notch tip.