Matrix-Material Fabrication Technique and Thermogravimetric Analysis of Banana Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

From the environmental consideration,it would be very interesting to use natural fibers such as banana,jute or coir as reinforcement materials instead of artificial fibers or any kind of synthetic materials.Natural fibers have many advantages over synthetic ones.Polypropylene banana fiber composites(PPBC)are prepared using untreated and alkali-treated banana fibers at 10-25%by weight of the fiber loading.The thermal properties of polypropylene natural fiber composites are very important for technological uses.Thermogravimetric measurements show that the incorporation of banana fiber into PP enhances the thermal stability of composites containing treated fibers,in comparison with untreated fibers.A composite of biodegradable polypropylene(PP)reinforced with short banana natural fibers was prepared by melt blending followed by a hot press molding system.The thermal properties of matrix materials were studied using thermogravimetric analyzers TGA units.It is observed that the introduction of short banana fibers slightly improved the thermo oxidative stability of PP-banana composites.Physical and chemical changes occurred through dehydration,phase transition,molecular orientation,crystallinity disruption,oxidation and decomposition,and incorporation of several functional groups.Systematic investigations of the thermal behavior of polymers in gas,vacuum or inert atmosphere give the knowledge of how change takes place in polymers.To understand such changes thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)and thermal analysis(TG)were performed.It is observed reinforcement of short banana fiber leads to little improvement in the thermooxidative stability of PPBC.Due to the enhancement of thermo-mechanical properties,such composites may be used as building materials namely roof materials,selling materials and many other engineering applications.

Effect of chemical modification on the properties of wood/polypropylene composites

Aluminate-based coupling agent was added as a compatibilizer to make the chemical modification of wood powder. The mechanical properties and morphology of wood powder/polypropylene composites were studied. The results showed that the compatibilizer can increase the impact strength of the wood/polypropylene composites, but it has a slightly negative effect on the tensile and flexural strength. For dynamic mechanical properties and Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Aluminate-based coupling agent can slightly increase the storage modulus and loss modulus, and decrease the melt point and the Calorie of Melt. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Aluminate-based coupling agent had a stronger affinity between the wood and polypropylene surfaces. These results suggested that Aluminate-based coupling agent may play a useful role in improving wood powder/polypropylene composites properties.

Effects of BN on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of PP/BN Composites

In order to explore the thermal conductivity of polypropylene(PP)/hexagonal boron nitride(BN) composites,PP composites filled with different proportions of BN were prepared through extrution compounding,injection moulding and compression moulding.The composites were filled with BN particles of 5 and 20 μm respectively,and their mass fractions in composites were considered.Percentage of BN was varied from 0 to 25wt% in steps of 5wt%.The effects of BN filler on mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated.The thermal behaviors were studied using DSC and TGA,and the thermal conductivity was also investigated by Laser Flash Device and the Model of 3D Heat Conduction respectively.The experimental results show that impact strength of PP/BN can be enhanced with the addition of BN,but that composites exhibit lower breaking elongation & tensile strength when compared to unfilled ones.It is found that mass fraction of BN influenced the final thermal stability and degree of crystallization of PP matrix,the degree of crystallization of PP with 15wt% of 20 μm BN can be improved by 25% than neat PP.Meanwhile,crystallization temperatures of PP composites are elevated by about 10 ℃.The thermal conductivity results demonstrate that the maximum value of the thermal conductivity is achieved from PP/BN with 20wt% of 20 μm BN,higher than that of pure PP by 95.65%,close to the simulation one.

The Effect of Silane Grafted Polypropylente on the Property of Different Filler/Polypropylene Composites

Aim To determine the effect of silane grafted polypropylene on the property of different filler/polypropylene composites. Methods Polypropylene (PP) composites filled with talc(Ta), baryta sulfate and calcium carbonate coupled with silane grafted polypropylene (PP-g-Si) were made, their mechanical properties and thermal properties were investigated, respectively. Results As compared with the non-coupled composites, the mechanical properties of PP/Ta/PP-g-Si composites were improved to some extent, though the values of tensile modulus and the strain at peak were decreased. But for PP/BaSO4 and PP/CaCO3 composites, the values of their mechanical properties varied slightly or even decreased with increasing PP-g-Si content within the experimental component. Meanwhile, PP-g-Si also affected the melting and crystallization behavior of PP in the composites. Conclusion PP-g-Si offers compatibilization in PP/Ta composites, but offers no-compatibilization in PP/BaSO4 and PP/CaCO3 composites within the extent of the present range of PP-g-Si, which shows that PP-g-Si can be used as the macromolecular coupling agent of PP and Ta composite.

Fracture Properties of Cement Composites Reinforced with Steel Polypropylene Hybrid Fibres

Polypropylene fibres and three sizes of steel fibres reinforced concrete are discussed. The total fibres content ranges from 0 4%-0 95% by volume of concrete. A four point bending test is adopted on the notched prisms with the size of 100?mm×100?mm×500?mm to investigate the effect of hybrid fibres on crack arresting. The research results show that there is a positive synergy effect between large steel fibres and polypropylene fibres on the load bearing capacity in the small displacement range. But this synergy effect disappears in the large displacement range. The large and strong steel fibre is better than soft polypropylene fibre and small steel fibre in the aspect of energy absorption capacity in the large displacement range. The static usage limitation for the hybrid fibres concrete with “wide peak' or “multi peaks' load CMOD pattern should be carefully selected. The ultimate load bearing capacity and the crack width or CMOD at this load level should be jointly considered.

Reinforcing effects of modified Kevlar~ fiber on the mechanical properties of wood-flour/polypropylene composites

Kevlar fiber （KF） is a synthesized product with strong mechanical properties. We used KF as a reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of wood-flour/polypropylene （WF/PP） composites. KF was pretreated with NaOH to improve its compatibility with the thermoplastic matrix. Maleated polypropylene （MAPP） was used as a coupling agent to improve the interfacial adhesion between KF, WF, and PP. Incorporation of KF improved the mechanical properties of WF/PP composites. Treatment of KF with NaOH resulted in further improvement in mechanical strength. Addition of 3% MAPP and 2% hydrolyzed KF （HKF） led to an increment of 93.8% in unnotched impact strength, 17.7% in notched impact strength, 86.8% in flexure strength, 50.8% in flexure modulus, and 94.1% in tensile strength compared to traditional WF/PP composites. Scanning electron microscopy of the cryo-fractured section of WF/PP showed that the HKF surface was rougher than the virgin KF, and the KF was randomly distributed in the composites, which might cause a mechanical interlocking between KF and polypropylene molecules in the composites.

Rheological Behavior for Mica-filled Polypropylene Composite Melts

The study on rheological properties of a series of mica-filled polypropylene ( PP ) composites was carried out. The influence of surface-treatment of mica particles on dynamic rheological behavior of the composites were dealt with. The viscosity ( h ) and dynamic modulus ( G ) of the composite melts were higher than those of PP matrix, especially those for systems treated with silane, which was attributed to the interfacial adhesion enhancement. However, surface-treatment of mica by titanate resulted in lower h and G, as compared with the treatment by silane. The reason for this is believed to be the formation of the mono-molecular layer on the mica surface.

Preliminary study of viscoelastic properties of MAPP-modified wood flour/polypropylene composites

Viscoelastic properties of maleated polypropylene （MAPP）-modified wood flour/polypropylene composites （WPC） were investigated by both a compression stress relaxation method and dynamic mechanical analyses （DMA）. Three wood to polymer ratios （40：60, 60：40, and 80：20） and five MAPP loading levels （0, 1, 2, 4 and 8%） were used to study their effects on the viscoelastic prop- erties of MAPP-WPC. The results show that： 1） higher wood to polymer ratio corresponds to higher stress relaxation levels for unmodified WPC. The modification with MAPP has an obvious effect on the stress relaxation of MAPP-WPC at higher wood to polymer ratios （60：40 and 80：20）, but almost no effect at the 40：60 wood to polymer ratio. The optimal MAPP loading level for the wood to polymer ratio of 60：40 appears at 1%; 2） the storage modulus reaches its maximum at a MAPP loading level of 1% for wood to polymer ratios of 40：60 and 60：40, while for the 80：20 wood to polymer ratio, a higher storage modulus is observed at higher MAPP loading levels, which is quite consistent with the stress relaxation results. The results suggested that a suitable loading level of MAPP has a positive effect on the viscoelastic properties of WPC at higher wood to polymer ratios. Excessive MAPP loading would have resulted in adverse effects.

Non-isothermal Melt Crystallization Kinetics of Anhydrite-Filled Polypropylene Composites

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of polypropylene （PP）, PP/anhydrite composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） with various cooling rates. The Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny and a method developed by Mo were employed to describe the non-isothermal crystallization process of these samples. The difference in the exponent n between PP and PP/anhydrite composites indicated that non-isothermal kinetic crystallization corresponded to tri-dimensional growth with heterogeneous nucleation. The values of half-time, Zc and F（T） showed that the crystallization rate increased with the increasing of cooling rates for PP and PP/anhydrite composites, but the crystallization rate of PP/anhydrite composites was faster than that of PP at a given cooling rate. The method developed by Ozawa did not describe the non-isothermal crystallization process of PP very well. Moreover, the method proposed by Kissinger was used to evaluate the activation energy of the mentioned samples. The result showed that the activation energy of PP/anhydrite was greatly larger than that of PP.

Mechanical, Thermal and Interfacial Properties of Jute Fabric-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: Effect of Potassium Dichromate

Composites based on jute fabrics and polypropylene was fabricated by heat-press molding technique. The mechanical properties of the composites such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, bending modulus and impact strength were measured in dependence of fiber contents. In order to improve fiber-matrix interaction, jute fabrics were treated with aqueous solutions of K2Cr2O7 (0.005-0.05% w/v). Composite prepared with 0.02% K2Cr2O7 treated jute fabrics showed the highest values of the mechanical properties. Thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) data of PP, jute fabrics and composites showed that thermal degradation temperatures of composites shifted to higher temperature regions compared to PP or jute fabrics. Treatment of jute fabrics improved the thermal stability of the composite considerably. Scanning electron microscopic images of tensile fractured sides of untreated and treated composites illustrated that better fiber-matrix interfacial interaction occurred in treated composite. The relative tendency of water absorption of both untreated and treated composites was also explored.

Intumescent Flame-retardant Modification of Polypropylene/Carbon Fiber Composites

To improve the flame resistance of polypropylene(PP)/carbon fiber(CF)composite materials,triazine char-forming agent(TCA)was compounded with ammonium polyphosphate(APP)or modified APP(CS-APP)in a 2:1 ratio to prepare intumescent flame retardant(IFR)and the modified intumescent flame retardant(CS-IFR)in this paper.Flame retardancy and thermal degradation behaviors of the composites modified by IFR and CS-IFR were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR),contact angle measurement,oxygen index(OI),vertical burning tests(UL-94),thermogravimetric analyer(TGA),and thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared(TG-FTIR).It was found that 25.0 phr of IFR and 24.0 phr of CS-IFR could improve the LOI value of PP/CF composites to 28.3%and 28.9%,respectively.At the same time,a UL-94 V-0 rating was achieved.The experimental results show that the IFR and CS-IFR prepared could effectively improve the flame retardancy and thermostability of PP/CF composites,and they would greatly expand the application range of PP/CF composite materials.

Utilization of Pineapple Crown Fiber and Recycled Polypropylene for Production of Sustainable Composites

Nowadays,the production of consumer goods is based on the use of non-renewable raw materials,which in recent years has been performing as a problem for the environment.Considering the large number of available biofibers in nature,their use in the development of polymeric composites has inevitably emerged,it is also necessary to take into account the countless discarded plastics that still have the potential to be reused.In this work,fibers were extracted from pineapple crown residues and utilized to compose sustainable composites using recycled polypropylene from cups discarded in the trash as a matrix.However,it is known that for good performance,it is necessary to achieve a good chemical interaction between the fiber and the matrix.In order to improve this interaction,alkaline mercerization treatment was carried out on the surface of the fibers removing some components incompatible with the polymer.In this work,the effect of the mercerization treatment on the properties of the fibers was studied,as well as their interaction with the matrix.The effect of fiber concentration on the mechanical and thermal properties of composites was also evaluated.Levels of 5 and 7 wt%were used for both natural and mercerized fibers.A decrease in the number of degradation stages was observed through thermogravimetry analyses(from four in natural fiber to two in mercerized fibers),showing that the mercerization performed on the fibers was effective.An increase in the degree of crystallinity of mercerized fibers was also observed through the results of X-ray diffraction.Both techniques indicate that amorphous compounds,such as hemicellulose and lignin,were partially removed.Through the tensile test,it could be noted that all composites presented higher values of de elastic modulus than recycled polypropylene without added load;however,there were no differences in the elastic modulus between the different types of fibers and load levels.Therefore,it is interesting to use fibers as reinforcing agents in polymers;however,the treatment did not increase the mechanical properties of the composites.In parallel,other factors,such as the dispersion of the components,must be taken into account to justify this result.

Mechanical Properties, Microstructure and Surface Quality of Polypropylene Green Composites as a Function of Sunflower Husk Waste Filler Particle Size and Content

Agricultural waste is a still untapped source of materials that can,in case of proper utilization,significantly improve the sustainability of polymers and their composites.In this work,polymer composites based on isotactic polypropylene were produced incorporating ground sunflower husk in the amount of 10 wt%and 20 wt%.The work’s main objective is to evaluate how preliminary fractioning of this agricultural waste filler affects the thermomechanical properties,microstructure and surface topology of polypropylene-based injection molded composites.The composites were analyzed for mechanical properties(tensile,impact strength and hardness),thermomechanical properties(Vicat softening point VST,heat deflection temperature HDT,and dynamic thermomechanical analysis DMTA)with reference to morphological changes evaluated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The quality of the produced composites was assessed on the basis of the analysis of the surface topology of the injected composites.It has been shown that the larger particle size of used filler has a direct impact on increasing composite stiffness in the room and elevated temperature.Moreover,a relationship was demonstrated between the size of the filler and the deterioration of the tensile strength in the case of composites with a higher content of filler.The results show that the addition of sunflower husk as a particle-shaped waste filler is an effective method to increase sustainability of polypropylene-based green composites with beneficial thermomechanical properties and to reduce the residue of sunflower husk from industrial oil production.

Mechanical Properties of Iron Ore Tailings Filled-Polypropylene Composites

Iron ore tailings filled polypropylene (PP) composites were produced using the compo-indirect squeeze casting (C-ISC) process. Particle sizes 150, 212 and 300 μm where considered for different volume fractions of 5% to 30% at intervals of 5%. The tensile and impact behavior of the produced composites were investigated, experimentally, by carrying out uniaxial tensile and izod impact tests to obtain tensile strength, elongation at break, modulus of elasticity and impact strength. Empirical data were compared with results obtained from models proposed by Nielsen, Bigg and Einstein. The experimental results show that elongation at break for iron ore tailings filled PP reduces with increasing 150 μm particle size. Tensile strength reduces with increasing filler. The Bigg equation exhibited improved predictability with decreasing particle size of filler in PP;while the Einstein equation which assumes poor adhesion gives the best prediction of modulus of elasticity with increasing particle size in PP. Izod impact strength decreases with particle size but increases with increasing volume content of iron ore tailings from 5% to 25% for each particle size considered.

The Effect of Water Absorption on Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour/Wheat Husk Polypropylene Hybrid Composites

The main objectives of this research were to study the effect of water absorption on mechanical properties of hybrid fiber reinforcement for polypropylene composites. The poor resistance towards water absorption is one of the draw- backs of natural fibers. Hybrid filler-polypropylene composites are subjected to water immersion tests in order to study the effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties. Composites specimens containing 30 phr and 40 phr fiber weight were prepared by melt blending process. Water absorption tests were conducted by immersion specimens in distilled water at room temperature for different time durations (24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192 hours). The tensile, flexural and impact properties were investigated before and after water absorption. The percentage of moisture uptake increased as the increasing order of the filler loading due to the high cellulose content. The phase morphology of wood flour/wheat husk polypropylene hybrid composites were investigated by SEM, the dynamic mechanical properties of the composite are analyzed by DMA & wheat, wood filler interaction are analyzed by FT-IR.

Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Behavior Analysis of Composites Based on Polypropylene Recycled with Vegetal Leaves

Thermal properties, as well as the dynamic mechanical behavior of recycled polypropylene composites with vegetal leaves contents, were studied by thermal analysis techniques: TG/DTG, DTA, and DMA. Composites made of polypropylene recycled with 1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% ww?1 vegetal leaves were prepared using the melt blending technique. The results revealed that the viscoelastic properties were influenced by fiber content;however, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composite did not show significant changes to the fiber content. In the end, the composite with 5% of palm leaves and PP recycled presented the most promising results since this one kept the solid characteristic on the dynamic mechanical properties. This work presents an environmental friendly alternative to manage natural waste, also being a form of reducing polymeric materials waste.

Preparation and Properties of Unmodified Ramie Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Ramie fiber （RF） was used to reinforce the polypropylene （PP）. The composites were prepared with a melting hybrid technology. Tests had been performed on PP and composites with different RF contents （10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%）. By using SEM, DSC, TGA, electronic universal testing machine, HDT-VICAT tester and coefficient of linear expansion tester, the effects of the RF loading were assessed on the basis of morphologies, mechanical and thermal properties as well as vicat softening temperature and CTE of the resulting composites. The results show that the thermal degradation temperature of the PP/RF composites becomes lower with higher fiber content. The crystallization rate of the PP matrix is accelerated by the unmodified RF. Because of the inferior interfacial bonding strength between RF and PP, the tensile strength of composites decreases by the presence of RF. And the RF used is relatively long compared with the diameter, the impact strength of the composites is improved by the unmodified RF. The vicat softening temperature of composites can be increased by about 5℃ in the presence of RF compared with PP. The CTE is reduced significantly in the presence of RF. Generally speaking, impact strength, crystallization rate, vicat softening temperature and CTE of PP/RF composites could be improved in the presence of RF. The tensile strength is decreased and thermal degradation temperature of composites becomes lower, but these should not affect most subsequent normal uses of the composites. As the unmodified RF is used directly, no hazardous waste is produced during the fabrication process, combined with the low price, so, a facile and economic preparation pathway is given by using unmodified natural fiber to reinforce polymer and composites with good performance obtained.

SPATIAL HIERARCHY AND INTERFACIAL STRUCTURE IN INJECTION-MOLDED BARS OF POLYPROPYLENE-BASED BLENDS AND COMPOSITES

The hierarchical structure and interfacial morphology of injection-molded bars of polypropylene （PP） based blends and composites have been investigated in detail from the skin to the core. For preparation of injection-molded bars with high-level orientation and good interfacial adhesion, a dynamic packing injection molding technology was applied to exert oscillatory shear on the melts during solidification stage. Depending on incorporated component, interfacial adhesion and processing conditions, various oriented structure and morphology could be obtained. First, we will elucidate the epitaxial behavior between PP and high-density polyethylene occurring in practical molded processing. Then, the shear-induced transcrystalline structure will be the main focus for PP/fiber composites. At last, various oriented clay structures have been ascertained unambiguously in PP/organoclay nanocomposites along the thickness of molded bars.

Dynamic-mechanical analysis and SEM morphology of wood flour/polypropylene composites

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of compatibilizers, including Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene （MA-PP） and maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer （MA-EPDM）, on wood-flour/polypropylene （WF/PP） composites. WF/PP composites were prepared by direct extrusion profiles using a twin-screw/single-screw extruder system. DMA analysis showed that the loss factor of composites decreased and the storage modulus improved in the presence of MA-PP, which indicated much better interfacial adhesion between the PP matrix and wood flour filler than in the absence of compatibilizer. Morphological feature based on SEM observation showed that MA-PP and MA-EPDM improved the dispersion of the wood particles in the plastic matrix. MA-EPDM is a soft segment, although it improved the interfacial adhesion, storage modulus decreases with adding of MA-EPDM. As compatibilizer of wood-flour/polypropylene composites, both DMA analysis and SEM feature proved that MA-PP was superior to MA-EPDM.

Rheology in Processing of in Situ Composites of Polypropylene and Low Melting Poing Metals

The low melting point metallic tin powder or alloy of tin and lead was blended with polypropylene. A kind of in situ composite has been prepared. The variations of torque were studied when the composites were mixed in Haake torque rheogeniometer. By way of capillary extrusion, effects upon rheology of the in situ composites of the low melting point metals (LMPM) and coupling agent for their different variety and content, were investigated. From flow curves, the results indicate that in situ composites mixed with the LMPM are a kind of pseudoplastic fluid. If the LMPM were melted, the higher the content of the LMPM, the lower apparent viscosity of composites. Meanwhile, when the coupling agent is added into composites , the viscosity of composite will go up first and drop then. This shows that the LMPM have a promoter flow action on the polypropylene.