Abstract : ABSTRACT: Highly filled elastomers such as solid propellants exhibit a complex nonlinear viscoelastic behavior. This work aimed at
determining the influence of binder–filler and filler–filler interactions on the microstructure and the viscoelastic properties of the propellant
using a design of experiments method. The influences of the filler fraction and of the filler–binder bonding agents (FBBA)
were measured by swelling experiments and prestrained dynamic mechanical analyses. The results showed that FBBA react on the filler
surface and concentrate the curing agents in the vicinity of the fillers. The nonlinearity of the viscoelastic behavior originated
from filler–filler interactions that created high stress zones between fillers and therefore constrained the movements of the macromolecules
of the binder. Filler–binder interactions induced by the FBBA increased the filler effective volume as well as the heterogeneous
stress distribution in the microstructure. VC 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40664.
