Mechanical, Degradation, and Interfacial Properties of Synthetic Degradable Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Polypropylene (PP) matrix synthetic phosphate based degradable fiber reinforced unidirectional composites (10% fiber by weight) were fabricated by compression molding. Tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM), elongation at break (%), bending strength (BS), bending modulus (BM), and impact strength (IS) were found to be 38 MPa, 1.5 GPa, 12%, 44 MPa, 4.9 GPa, and 7.58 kJ/m(2) respectively. Degradation tests of the fibers and composites were performed for six months in aqueous medium at room temperature (25 degrees C). After six months, the mechanical properties of the composites retained almost 80% of their original properties. The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of the composites were also measured by single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT). The IFSS of the composite system was found 5.9MPa that indicated good fiber matrix adhesion.