Abstract:
This research aimed to study the mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with 3 type of feathers and hair. Duck feathers, chicken feathers and dog hair were employed as reinforcements for fabricating polypropylene composites. Feathers and hair were separated and mixed with PP with the ratio of 2-10 %w/w. Then, the compounds were mixed by tworoll mills and fabricated by compression molding under the pressure of 10.34 MPa. Molding temperature was set at 170 ๐C for 5 minutes. After that, the mechanical properties of the polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with feathers and hair were investigated.
Since the interfacial bonding between the fillers and PP was poor, it was found that the mechanical properties of the composites were decreased when the amount of feathers and hair were increased. Moreover, the mechanical testing and the morphology further confirmed the results. In order to improve the mechanical properties of the composites, the employment of a coupling agent,
and the employment of treated feathers and hair were studied.
After the surface modification of feathers and the hair with alkali, the mechanical properties of the composites were increased. Since the surfaces of feathers and hair were changed, the interfacial bonding between the treated fillers and PP was improved. In conclusion, it was found that the mechanical properties of the composites employed with maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PPg- MA) as a coupling agent were not changed, and these mechanical properties were the same as the ones employed with the treated fillers.