The Effect of Foaming on Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Polypropylene

Abstract

The automotive industry is among the priority technology areas of our country, and the reduction of vehicle weight and fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions without compromising safety criteria are among the priority research areas. For this reason, R&D studies on increasing the use of polymer-based materials in the automotive industry are of great importance. In order to produce “high strength and weight reduction parts” in plastic moulding technologies, advanced technologies that focus on cost reduction and efficiency are being implemented rapidly. The chemical foaming process, which provides many advantages such as reducing the consumption of plastic material used, reducing the total moulding cycle time, using fewer tonnage injection moulding machines, and thus reducing the energy costs, is one of the innovative technologies that have been implemented since a very recent time. In this study, chemical foaming agents were used at a rate of 1-2-3 wt% in natural fiberreinforced recycled composite polypropylene raw material. Polypropylene samples were obtained by injection moulding in the sizes and shapes in accordance with the standards. Tensile, hardness, impact and three- point bending tests would be done. With increasing the amount of foaming agent, mechanical properties decreased.