Correlation Matrix for Mechanical, Rheological and Morphological Properties of PP-CaCO3 Composites

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) of polymeric composite for product development has got many applications ranging from prototyping of models to tailormade products. The applicability of those products has been found in various fields such as medical, instrumental, robotics, industrial, etc. Various studies have been reported where different reinforcements have been used in the polymeric matrix for several applications. But hitherto a few studies have been reported on the formation of PP-CaCO3 composite-based feedstock filament and the development of correlation matrix for mechanical and rheological properties. Therefore, an effort has been made in preparation for PP-CaCO3 based composite and feedstock filament development. Later the mechanical and morphological properties were used for correlation matrix development. The study suggests that with the increase in the level of CaCO3, the melt flow index (MFI) of PP-CaCO3 composite decreases considerably. The mechanical testing results suggest that extrusion temperature of 170°C, screw rotation of 60rpm, and the load of 15kg are the best processing conditions for feedstock filament development for PP-15wt% CaCO3 composite matrix. The correlation matrix results suggest that mechanical properties (Peak strength (PS), Peak-load (PL) and break load (BS)) are in positive correlation with each other but have shown negative correlation/poor correlation with rheological property and surface roughness.