Tensile and Fracture Behaviour of PP/Wood flour Composites

E. PÉREZ, L. FAMÁ, SANTIAGO GARCÍA P., M.J.ABAD AND C.BERNAL

COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2012 vol. 43 p. 2795 - 2800

1359-8368

Polypropylene/wood flour composites with different fibre content were prepared. The effectof composition and the incorporation of maleinated polypropylene on the materials tensile andfracture and failure behaviour was investigated. Reliable fracture toughness data that will beuseful for structural applications were obtained. In unmodified composites an increase inYoung´s modulus was found with the addition of wood flour to PP, whereas tensile strength,strain at break and fracture toughness were observed to decrease as fibre content increased.The presence of MAPP was beneficial to tensile strength and ductility and had no significanteffect on fracture toughness, as a result of enhanced fibre dispersion within the matrix andimproved interfacial adhesion. Although reduced ductility and toughness were observed forthe composites respect to the matrix, in the case of modified composites, environmentallyfriendly stiffer materials were obtained with cost saving without sacrificing strength.