Abstract
Short cut E-glass fibers of two different lengths were used to determine the effect of glass fiber length on the dimensional stability of rigid Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foam in this study. Glass fibers measuring, 1/16 and 1/32 at different concentrations (0 wt% - 20 wt%) were used to reinforce rigid PVC foams; the PVC foam-glass fiber (PVC-GF) composites were extruded using a single screw profile extruder. The extruded PVC-GF composites were characterized for their dimensional stability, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties. Experimental results show that the dimensional stability, heat resistance, and storage modulus were enhanced without compromising the tensile and flexural strengths of the composites. Thermal shrinkage decreased by almost 55% in composites reinforced with 1/32 GF and by 60% in composites reinforced with 1/16 GFs, with visible improvements to the shape distortion. Overall, foam composites which were prepared with longer (1/16) glass fibers exhibited better mechanical and thermal properties than those prepared with shorter (1/32) glass fibers. Microstructural observations suggest that this is due to better interlocking between the long fibers and the foam cells, which result in better load distribution in the matrix.
Highlights
Polymer foams are a unique class of materials that are widely used due to their light weight, low cost, and good formability along with load bearing and insulation capabilities
This can be attributed to the higher thermal conductivity of glass fibers (GF), which results in faster heat transfer into the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) matrix and thermal degradation starting at lower temperatures [21]
Dimensional stability of PVC foam-glass fiber (PVC-GF) foam composites measured by thermal shrinkage and heat resistance was improved significantly with the addition of GF to the foam composites
Summary
Polymer foams are a unique class of materials that are widely used due to their light weight, low cost, and good formability along with load bearing and insulation capabilities. Jang et al [8] prepared poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) filled GF composites using extrusion process They reported enhancement in mechanical properties only when using sufficient coupling agents in order to improve the interfacial interaction between GF and the polymer matrix. Laurent et al [17] studied the effect of surface treatment on the mechanical properties of foamed and un-foamed PVC reinforced with wood fibers They observed a reduction in tensile modulus and tensile strength of the composites at higher GF loading, which was attributed to higher void fraction in the composites structure and weak interaction between the matrix and GF. The effect of GF content and length on the dimensional stability, as well as the mechanical, microstructural, and thermal properties of PVC foam composites, are investigated
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