Study of The Dispersion Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Composites Reinforced With Polystyrene Nanofibers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to construct a polypropylene composite reinforced with various weight ratios of polystyrene filaments and to examine the influence of the dispersion process on the mechanical characteristics of the finished composites. Utilized were polystyrene filaments with weight ratios ranging from 2% to 10%, with a weight increase of 0.2%. The influence of the polystyrene filament weight ratio on the final composite's mechanical characteristics, including Shore D hardness, density, modulus of elasticity, impact strength, and tensile strength, was investigated. According to the results, raising the weight ratio of polystyrene filaments enhanced all mechanical characteristics. The modulus of elasticity increased from 30 GPa with a reinforcement ratio of 2% to 90 GPa with a reinforcement ratio of 8%, and then decreased to 75 GPa with a 10% wt. whereas the density fell from 0.90 to 0.85 g/cm3 with a weight ratio of 2 percent to 10 percent filaments. When the weight percentage of fiber was raised from 2% to 8%, the impact strength rose to 3. 5 kJ/cm2 when 10% polystyrene nanofibers were present. In addition, the Shore hardness was enhanced from 30 to 50 by increasing the ratio of polystyrene nanofibers from 2% to 10% by weight. The material's tensile strength was also enhanced. When the filament weight ratio was raised from 2% to 8%, the tensile strength reduced from 32 MPa to 26.5 MPa. For all weight ratios of polystyrene filaments, the dispersion technique improved mechanical parameters such as tensile strength, impact strength, Shore D hardness, Young's modulus, and composite density.