Effect of drawing parameters on the properties of polypropylene/inorganic particles composites by solid-state die drawing

Abstract

Die drawing is an effective method for improving the properties of polymer. In this work, polypropylene (PP)/inorganic particle composites were fabricated by a solid-state die drawing process to investigate the effects of drawing parameters, such as inorganic particles types, drawing temperature, and drawing speed, on the thermal properties, microstructure, and mechanical behavior of the drawn composites. The mechanical properties of the material were significantly improved through this processing method. For the drawn PP/inorganic particle composites with 45 wt% CaCO3, when the drawing speed was 2.0 m/min and the drawing temperature was 110◦C, the density of the drawn composites reached the lowest at 1.00 g/cm3. At this time, the tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength of the drawn composites were 128.32 MPa, 77.12 MPa, and 170.42 KJ/m2, respectively. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of lightweight and high-strength PP-based composites, which have broad application prospects in the field of engineering and structural materials.