Effect of Thermal Aging on Mechanical Properties and Fatigue Behavior of PP/HDPE Thermoplastic Polymer Nanoclay Composites

Abstract

Thermoplastic polymers are gaining their importance in their usage and emerging into industrial applications. Material degradation and loss of its properties due to exposure to different environmental conditions restrict their usage in engineering applications. The inclusion of nanofillers in these polymers can enable their usage in engineering application by reducing the degradation of the material. In the present study two thermoplastic polymers, Polypropylene (PP) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) are considered for fabrication of nanoclay included thermoplastic polymer clay nanocomposites by melt blend method. These composites are exposed to the higher temperature to study the effect of thermal aging on mechanical and fatigue properties of nanoclay included PP/HDPE thermoplastic polymer nanocomposites. Nanoclay inclusion reduces the decrease in these properties due to thermal aging.