Mechanical Properties and Fracture Mechanism of a Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Abstract

To study the effect of some parameters, such as, length and fraction of glass fiber (GF), and the fraction of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH), on the mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GF/PP) composites, tensile tests, bending tests and impact tests were conducted. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to characterize the fracture mechanisms of the composites. The results show that, compared with 3 mm GF, 9 mm GF can significantly improve the strength of the composite better. Addition of PP-g-MAH, a kind of grafting agent, into the PP-30% LGF composite can result in a better mechanical properties because of the strengthening of the bonding interface between the matrix and the fiber. When the mass fraction of GF is 30% and the PP-g-MAH fraction is 6%, the mechanical properties of the composite are the best.