%0 Journal Article
%T Effects of Maleic Anhydride on the Mechanical Properties and Morphology of Wheat Straw Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene
%A Obele Chizoba M.
%A Ishidi Edith Y
%A Odera Raphael S.
%J Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering and Sciences
%D 2012
%I Global Research Publishing
%X Composites made of polypropylene (PP) and wheat straw fiber (WS) as well as polypropylene/ wheat straw fiber/maleic anhydride (MA) were prepared using single screw injection moulding extruder at filler loadings 10,20,30,40 weight %. The tensile strengths recorded at maximum loading for PP/WS and PP/WS/MA are 9.5MPa and 8.1MPa respectively showing improved strength with additive of MA. The tensile modulus for the two cases was found to be 193.3MPa and 295MPa respectively. Percentage elongation was found to improve with addition of MA that at maximum loading 0.8% and 6% were recorded for PP/WS and PP/WS/MA. The unnotched impact strength was also found to increase from 0.42kgf.m/cm2 to 0.6kgf.m/cm2 at maximum loading of 40. The effect of filler content on percentage elongation was also found optimum at 10% filler content for both PP/WS and PP/WS/MA, with PP/WS MA being more elastic. Generally apart from tensile strength that showed decreasing trend with addition of filler, the tensile modulus, percentage elongation and impact strength of PP/WS was found to increase with addition of compatibilizer, MA. SEM photomicrographs showed that there is a good adhesion between the wheat straw filler and the PP matrix in PP/WS/MA composites which has been evidenced in the tensile strength tests.
%K mechanical properties
%K morphological properties
%K wheat straw fiber
%K polypropylene
%K maleic anhydride.
%U http://www.grpjournal.org/Paper/Effects%20of%20Maleic%20Anhydride%20on%20the%20Mechanical%20Properties%20and%20Morphology%20of%20Wheat%20Straw%20Fibre%20Reinforced%20Polypropylene.aspx