pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S09 - Polymer Modification with Ionizing Radiation
Oral Presentation
 
 

Melt spinning and characterization of matrix blend based on polypropylene and ethylene-octene copolymers modified by high energy electrons

Al Rahhal Samer (1)*, Bruenig Harald (1), Gohs Uwe (1), Heinrich Gert (1)

(1) Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. - Saxony - Germany

Polypropylen (PP) is known as a thermoplastic material with lot of advantages as low cost, low density, chemical resistance, well processability, etc. The simultaneously melt spinning of PP and glass filaments (Online Hybrid Fiber Spinning) opens the possibility to produce hybrid yarns for glass fiber reinforced composites using textile processes. However, the applications of PP in electrical and automotive industries as matrix material for endless fiber reinforced composites are limited because of its low stiffness, low tensile strength, and insufficient impact strength. Improving the poor mechanical properties of PP to get at least a low cost high performance material that benefits the requirements of modern reinforced light weight constructions seems to be a challenge of our time. In the presented work, PP and blends of PP and ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC) were prepared by electron induced reactive processing (EIReP) using various blend ratios at low electron doses (up to 18 kGy) and fixed electron energy of 1.5 MeV. Melt spinning trials of the EIReP-modified PP and PP/EOC blend materials were carried out by means of an industrial near extruder spinning equipment to investigate the spinnability and to get optimum spinning parameters as well as the effects of blend components and electron beam irradiation to the mechanical properties of as-spun fibers. It is well known, that blending PP with 2.5mass-% EOC increase the Charpy impact strength but has no or lowering effect to E-modulus. The treatment with electron beam allows further improvements. The presentation shows, that under well balanced conditions, significant improvement of adhesion and impact strength as well as modulus for the modified PP-matrix material can be reached.