Effect of Fiber Loading on Mechanical, Physical Behavior of Thermoplastic Blend Composites

The short fiber reinforced hybrid thermoplastic blend composites is most widely used in aerospace & automobile industries. Individual fibres and their hybrid effect on mechanical characterisation are the focus of this article. The materials used for the study are Polyamide66 (PA66), Polypropylene (PP), Short glass fibers (SGF) and Short basalt fibers (SBF). The material system used for the study are Blend (PA66/PP), Blend/SGF, Blend/SBF and Blend/SGF/SBF. Melt mix method with twin screw extruder is used to manufacture composite material systems. ASTM standards were used to evaluate the composites physical and mechanical properties, such as hardness, density, tensile, flexure, and impact strength. The experimental data indicated that the mechanical properties particularly tensile and flexural strength enhanced significantly by the insertion of short fibers into thermoplastic blend. Further the impact properties reduced due the brittle nature of the fibers in the blend composites. The density as well as the hardness of the short fiber reinforced composites increases with respect to the blend. The failure mechanism of the composites due the mechanical characterization is observed through the SEM pictures.