Polypropylene/Short Glass Fibers Composites: Effects of Coupling Agents on Mechanical Properties, Thermal Behaviors, and Morphology

Abstract

This study uses the melt compounding method to produce polypropylene (PP)/short glass fibers (SGF) composites. PP serves as matrix while SGF serves as reinforcement. Two coupling agents, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene, (PP-g-MA) and maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS-g-MA) are incorporated in the PP/SGF composites during the compounding process, in order to improve the interfacial adhesion and create diverse desired properties of the composites. According to the mechanical property evaluations, increasing PP-g-MA as a coupling agent provides the composites with higher tensile, flexural, and impact properties. In contrast, increasing SEBS-g-MA as a coupling agent provides the composites with decreasing tensile and flexural strengths, but also increasing impact strength. The DSC results indicate that using either PP-g-MA or SEBS-g-MA as the coupling agent increases the crystallization temperature. However, the melting temperature of PP barely changes. The spherulitic morphology results show that PP has a smaller spherulite size when it is processed with PP-g-MA or SEBS-g-MA as the coupling agent. The SEM results indicate that SGF is evenly distributed in PP matrices, but there are distinct voids between these two materials, indicating a poor interfacial adhesion. After PP-g-MA or SEBS-g-MA is incorporated, SGF can be encapsulated by PP, and the voids between them are fewer and indistinctive. This indicates that the coupling agents can effectively improve the interfacial compatibility between PP and SGF, and as a result improves the diverse properties of PP/SGF composites.

DSC and Weathering Test of Composite formed of Six Configurations of RPPCP and RGF materials

“…Both of them are given the same temperature and results are noted. It is performed by a device named Differential Scanning Calorimeter and is known as power compensating DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) [8]. In this study, new material is manufactured by the amalgamation of PPCP, GFRP, and RGF.…”

Impact Response of Carbon Fibre Fabric/Thermoset-Thermo-Plastic Combined Polymer Composites

“…However, epoxy resin has low fracture energy because it is generally brittle in nature.In addition, the delamination occurred on the laminated composite material to impact. Insertion of an interleaf layer [4][5][6], reinforcing with threedimensional braided or woven fabrics [7], stitching of reinforcements [8], surface treatment of reinforcements [9,10], and the insertion of fillers, such as carbon nanotubes, into the matrix [11]was used to prevent the delamination. Aircraft construction manufactured currently using epoxy composites, but in the case of wings of high-speed aircraft, brittle epoxy resin system is leading to laminated structures with a poor tolerance to low-energy impact caused by continuous impact such as drizzle and dust, that caused deterioration during cyclic loading.…”

Influence of plasma modification on mechanical and thermal properties of Polypropylene/ Nano-Calcium Silicate Composites

“…The FTIR spectra (Figure 2) reveal an absorption band at 1090 cm −1 due to C-O stretched vibration and a characteristic very narrow band for the spectra are dominated by a broad signal in the 750-1300 cm −1 spectral range, where the stretching vibrations of the Si-O-Si and Si-O-Ca bridges occur [4].…”