An experimental study on the behavior of PP/EPDM/JUTE composites in impact, tensile and bending loadings

Abstract

This article deals with the experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of short jute fibers reinforced poly-propylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) composites with various fiber contents (5, 10, 20, and 30% by weight) under Charpy impact (unnotched and notched), tensile, and three point bending tests. To increase the interfacial adhesion between the composite constituents, compatibilizer maleic anhydride poly-propylene (MAPP) is used in the fabrication process of composite specimens. The standard specimens were prepared using an injection molding machine. The results show that by adding EPDM to PP, the impact strength is increased for unnotched and notched specimens. The elongation at break is also increased for all the specimens, but the tensile and bending strength are decreased. Furthermore, by adding higher values of wt% of jute fibers, the tensile properties are improved and the impact and bending strengths are reduced as compared with pure PP.