Improvement of impact property of natural fiber-polypropylene composite by using natural rubber and EPDM rubber

In this research, vetiver grass was used as a filler in polypropylene (PP) composite. Chemical treatment was done to modify fiber surface. Natural rubber (NR) and Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber at various contents were used as an impact modifier for the composites. The composites were prepared by using an injection molding. Rheological, morphological and mechanical properties of PP and PP composites with and without NR or EPDM were studied. Adding NR or EPDM to PP composites, a significant increase in the impact strength and elongation at break is observed in the PP composite with rubber content more than 20% by weight. However, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the PP composites decrease with increasing rubber contents. Nevertheless, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composites with rubber contents up to 10% are still higher than those of PP. Moreover, comparisons between NR and EPDM rubber on the mechanical properties of the PP composites were elucidated. The PP composites with EPDM rubber show slightly higher tensile strength and impact strength than the PP composites with NR. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.