Abstract
Composite processing and subsequent characterization of microfibrillar composites (MFC) were the focus of this work. Compression molding of wound MFC filaments was used to fabricate MFC composites. The MFC composites were composed of polypropylene (PP) as matrix materials and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as reinforcement fibers. The PP/PET blends were mixed with PET contents ranging from 22 wt% to 45 wt%. The effect of processing parameters, pressure, temperature, and holding time on the mechanical properties of the MFCs was investigated. Tensile tests were conducted to optimize the processing parameter and weight ratio of PET. Tensile strength and modulus increased with the increase in PET content. PP/45 wt% PET MFC composites properties reached the value of PP/30 wt% GF. Falling weight tests were conducted on MFC composites. The MFC composites showed the ability to absorb the impact energy compared to neat PP and PP/30 wt% GF.
Highlights
To prevent waste from End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) and to promote the collection, re-use, and recycling of end-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) and their components, the European Union launched the ELV Directive [1]
Fiber-reinforced plastics are potential candidates to be substituted by microfibrillar composite structures (MFC) [4,5]
In our previous research work [30], we presented and adapted the concept of microfibrillar composites (MFC)
Summary
To prevent waste from End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) and to promote the collection, re-use, and recycling of ELVs and their components, the European Union launched the ELV Directive [1]. To achieve the ELV Directive, the automotive industry is working on lightweight material concepts using polymer composites [2]. Most of the polymeric parts used in automobiles for weight reduction are based on fiber-reinforced plastics such as bumpers and dashboards. One of the driving forces for the increased use of fiber-reinforced plastic composites in the automotive industry is weight reduction and recycling ease [3]. Most polymer bumpers are based on glass fiberreinforced composites, using polypropylene (PP) or other plastics such as polycarbonate (PC), polycarbonate (PC)/polybutylene perephthalate (PBT), and rubber toughened PP as the matrix [6,7,8,9]. Bumper bars are generally designed to absorb impact energy generated from low-speed impacts (toughened polyolefin (PO) blends or even polyurethane (PU)) [10]
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