Abstract
Abstract. Reinforced thermoplastic composites offer considerable advantages in structural and industrial applications in terms of high specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance, high impact toughness, high specific stiffness, recyclability, cost effectiveness, and design flexibility. Glass fibers (GFs) are the reinforcement material used in polypropylene (PP) composites to enhance PP properties with reasonable cost. To obtain better mechanical properties and decrease the overall cost, recycled rubber powder was used as a low-cost additive to PP/GF composites. The PP and GF, with different weight fractions, were mixed mechanically; then, the mixture was fed into injection molding machine. The PP/GF composites with the highest mechanical properties were selected for further improvements using rubber powder. The obtained samples were tested using tension, impact, and wear tests. The results show that tensile strength of PP/GF composite was improved by 17.8 % by adding 15 wt % GF, and there was a huge drop in impact strength by 80 % for the same GF weight fraction (15 wt %) compared to that of pure PP because of existence of GF. Wear properties and impact strength were improved by adding rubber powder to the composite, with a low weight fraction of 5 wt %, due to the shock-absorbing properties of rubber powder. Micrographs of the fractured sample surfaces revealed the good adhesion between the GF, PP, and the rubber particles.
Highlights
Polymeric materials have been widely used in various engineering applications due to their superior advantages over the other materials, such as excellent chemical resistance, excellent electrical and thermal insulating characteristics, good abrasion resistance, high specific strength, sufficient hardness, low moisture absorption, and ease of processing (Elsheikh et al, 2020b; Khoshaim et al, 2021b)
The ultimate tensile strength was mostly increased to 34 MP in case of PP/GF10, which is higher than that of pure PP by about 21 %
The modulus of elasticity of PP/Glass fibers (GFs) composites is directly proportional to the GF content, and PP/GF20 has the highest modulus of elasticity
Summary
Polymeric materials have been widely used in various engineering applications due to their superior advantages over the other materials, such as excellent chemical resistance, excellent electrical and thermal insulating characteristics, good abrasion resistance, high specific strength, sufficient hardness, low moisture absorption, and ease of processing (Elsheikh et al, 2020b; Khoshaim et al, 2021b). To obtain better mechanical properties from the produced composites, preprocessing and treatment techniques such as oxidation, alkalization and/or mercerization, and diazotization should be applied on the fibers (Shubhra et al, 2013). These techniques help in improving adhesion between PP and fibers, which enhances the mechanical strength of the produced composites. The use of nanoclay in glass-fiber-reinforced PP composites, prepared by injection molding and twin-screw-extruding techniques, was studied by Rahman et al (2012). The mechanical properties were explored using the tension test, impact test, and wear test
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
