Investigating the effects of waste ground rubber tire powder and PP-g-MA compatibilizer on the mechanical properties of PP/WASTE ground rubber tire (WGRT) powder/PPg-MA composites

Faramarz Ashenai Ghasemi^*, Gholamhassan Payganeh, Mehdi Rahmani, Mohammad Reza Kalaee

Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures, Volume 7, Issue 4, 2012(10), Pages 1859-1868. (JCR)

Abstract

In this research, the effect of waste ground rubber tire (WGRT) powder was experimentally investigated on mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP). PP-g-MA compatibilizer was used to increase the compatibility of waste rubber tire powder with the PP matrix. All the samples were mixed in a co-rotating twin screw extruder and were formed into standard tensile and impact bars using the injection molding method. The morphology of combinations was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The FESEM micrographs taken from fracture surface of the parts indicated that PP-g-MA led to compatibility increase of tire powder with the PP matrix and better dispersion and prevented from agglomeration of tire powder in that. Adding tire powder to PP matrix in all binary and ternary combinations increased impact strength of PP. In the blends containing 5 wt% PP-g-MA, significant changes in tensile properties of the compositions occurred that may be caused by the created appropriate bond strength in this weight percent of PP-g-MA between tire powder particles and PP matrix. Young’s modulus, yield stress and tensile strength of ternary combinations increased by the decrease of the weight percent of tire powder and increase of PP-g-MA, which were attributed to the increased bond strength. Also, break elongation decreased with the decrease of the weight percent of tire powder and increase of the amount of PP-g-MA, due to the reduced soft rubber phase and increased bond strength.

Keywords

Polypropylene (PP); PP-g-MA, Waste ground rubber tire (WGRT); Composite; Mechanical properties.

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