208550476.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Applied Chemistry Volume 2014, Article ID 782618, 8 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/782618 Research Article Studies on Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyoxymethylene Nanocomposite K. Mohan Babu1 and M. Mettilda2 1 Plastics Technology, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, 32 T.V.K. Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai, TamilNadu600032,India 2 Department of Chemistry, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, 32 T.V.K. Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai, TamilNadu600032,India Correspondence should be addressed to M. Mettilda; [email protected] Received 31 May 2014; Revised 11 September 2014; Accepted 8 October 2014; Published 6 November 2014 Academic Editor: Ioana Demetrescu Copyright © 2014 K. Mohan Babu and M. Mettilda. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Polyoxymethylene is a material which has excellent mechanical properties similar to Nylon-6 filled with 30% GF. 75% POM and 25% glass fibre (POMGF) were blended with nanoclay to increase the tensile and flexural properties. Samples were extruded intwin screw extruder to blend POMGF and (1%, 3%, and 5%) Cloisite 25A nanoclay and specimens were prepared by injection moulding process. The tensile properties, flexural properties, impact strength, and hardness were investigated for the nanocomposites. The fibre pull-outs, fibre matrix adhesion, and cracks in composites were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy. 1% POMGF nanocomposite has low water absorption property. Addition of nanoclay improves the mechanical properties and thermal properties marginally. Improper blending of glass fibre and nanoclay gives low tensile strength and impact strength. SEM image shows the mixing of glass fibre and nanoclay among which 1% POMGF nanocomposite shows better properties compared to others. Thethermalstabilitydecreasedmarginallyonlywiththeadditionofnanoclay. 1. Introduction occupies an important position in industry as well as in society. It shows excellent physical and mechanical proper- Polyoxymethylene is an engineering thermoplastic used in ties which are mainly based on its high crystallinity. It is precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and expected that the development of high-value-added materials excellent dimensional stability. As any other synthetic poly- will result in the requirement to distinguish them from mers, it is produced by different chemical firms with slightly existing POM materials [2, 3]. POM, however, has a poor different formulas and sold variously by such names as Delrin, impact resistance, which limits its range of applications. POM Celcon, Duracon, and Hostaform. Typical applications for polymer also suffers from limited processing temperature and injection-molded POM include high performance engineer- low heat deflection temperature. Polyoxymethylene (POM), ingcomponentssuchassmallgearwheels,ballbearings, with [–CH2–O–] as the main chain, is an engineering plastic ski bindings, fasteners, knife handles, lock systems, and with high mechanical strength, excellent abrasion resistance, model rocket launch buttons. Polyoxymethylene (POM) is fatigue resistance, and moldability. It can replace some metals also known as acetal, polyacetal, and polyformaldehyde. It and nonmetals to be used in many areas, for example, in was introduced to industrial applications in 1956 as a poten- electrical and electronic applications, automotive applica- tial replacement for die-cast metals and is widely used in tions, and precision machine applications [4, 5]. Nevertheless, automotive applications, electrical applications, electronics, up to now, lots of efforts have been devoted to further and many industrial fields [1].Thisisduetoitsoutstanding improvement of the mechanical strength of POM by means and well-balanced properties and because no other products of incorporation with fillers such as calcium carbonate, talc, can be substituted for POM in some application fields. POM diatomite, clay, and glass fibres. Several authors reported that 2 Journal of Applied Chemistry due to addition of glass fibre the heat deflection tempera- Polyoxymethylene (POM) is an engineering thermoplas- ∘ ture of POM was found to increase about 20–40 C[6–8]. ticusedinprecisionpartsthatrequirehighstiffness,low Addition of glass fibre with POM increases the mechanical friction, excellent dimensional stability, high heat resistance, and thermal properties with 25% ratio. PPcp-POM (Delrin, andgooddielectricproperty.Becauseofits70%crystallinity Homopolymer) (5, 10, and 20 wt%) was blended using a level and formation of spherulites (spherical semicrystalline twin screw extruder and was tested. The impact (5% POM) regions) [31] POM exhibits excellent mechanical and tech- and flexural modulus (20% POM) were found to be higher nological properties including tensile strength and flexural than those of PPcp itself. When SGF (short glass fibre) modulus. Furthermore, POM possesses high creep, fatigue, (20 wt%) was used, there is further improvement in the and corrosion resistance which lead it to a number of com- flexural modulus, which is generally more useful for design mercial applications, for example, car indoor structural parts purposes. However, for optimum mechanical and thermal with long-term thermal stability and resistance against UV- properties with better impact strength, the PP copolymer irradiation, bearings, phones (dialing parts), pump impellers, should be present at more than about 40% in the blend. home electronics and hardware, pneumatic components, and Addition of nanocomposite enhanced thermal and water many other applications. resistance and marginal reduction in transparency [9–11]. In this work, POM was mixed with the glass fibre Cloisite 25A blended with rPET increases the tensile strength and Cloisite 25A and reinforced and toughened POMGF by 5%. Nanoclay increases the flexural strength with rubber nanocomposites were prepared. The effect of glass fibre material [12]. and nanoclay addition on the mechanical properties and POM composites composed of abacus and cellulose crystallization behaviour and the reinforcing mechanism fibres were studied in which the tensile strength of abacus of POM were investigated. The composites presented wide fibre was improved by the addition of natural fibre with- applications as construction material, such as fixtures, pump out increasing its density [13]. Toughened and reinforced and fan propellers, gears, bearing liners, and rings. POM/MWCNT composites were prepared by compounding POMwithMWCNTsatlowfillercontent.Themechanical 2. Experimental strength and toughness of the composites were enhanced at 1 wt% MWCNT loading. The storage and loss modulus 2.1. Materials. The POM used in this work is a commercial of the composites both increased at all temperatures by grade without any additives supplied by DuPont, USA, in the introducing rigid MWCNTs, indicating an improved stiffness form of pellets with melt flow index 10 g/10 min and a density 3 of composites and strong entanglement between POM and of 910 kg/m . Cloisite 25A (a montmorillonite modified with MWCNTs [14]. The studies on the morphology and prop- methyl) was supplied by Southern Clay Products, Inc., USA. erties of melt-blended poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) Hereafter Cloisite 25A is referred to as nanoclay. Chopped E- (ABS) toughened polyoxymethylene (POM)/clay nanocom- GF (glass fibre) surface was treated with silane and having a posites at different clay loadings (2.5 and 5 phr) revealed 3 density of 2550 kg/m , average diameter of 14 m, and length that the number average domain diameter ( )ofthe of 6 mm, obtained from KCC Corporation, Korea, and was ABS droplets in the (75/25 w/w) POM/ABS blend gradually used as the principle reinforcement. decreasedwithincreaseinclayloading[15]. The field of clay-based polymer nanocomposites has attracted many researchers for the last three decades for 2.2. Composites Preparation. Compositions were physically their tremendous improvement in properties resulting from premixed and then compounded using the Brabender, the long range interactions between polymer and surface KETSE 20/40 (Germany) twin screw extruder. The mate- of the clay. Blending different polymers has been a very rials extruded from both formulations were pelletized into convenient and attractive method for the production of length of about 6 mm. In order to produce POM/GF/NC materials with specific end-use applications. However, gen- composites, the different ratios of the POM/NC and GF eral immiscibility of the polymers associated with inherent were physically mixed and recompounded in a twin screw thermodynamic incompatibility results in the formation of extruder, using the same temperature profile and screw speed immiscible polymer blends in most of the cases and, thus, of100rpm.Thedumbbell-shapedtensileandimpacttests leads to the formation of phase separated blend with matrix- specimens, according to ASTM standard D63814 and ASTM droplet morphology, in which the major constituent forms standard E 23, respectively, were then injection-moulded the matrix phase and the minor component acts as the using a Boy 55 M (Germany), with a 55-ton clamping force injection moulding machine. The processing temperature dispersed phase [16]. Thus, attainment