Processing, characterization and modeling of recycled polypropylene/glass fibre/wood flour composites

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most common thermoplastic materials in the world. There is a need to recycle the large amount of this used material. To overcome the environmental problems, related to the polymer waste, PP was recycled and used as a matrix material in different composites that can be used in high value applications. In this paper, composites made of recycled polypropylene (RPP) reinforced by glass fibres and/or wood flour of the palm tree were prepared, characterized and modeled. The mechanical and thermal properties of these recycled polymer matrix composites (RPMCs) were measured experimentally and modeled theoretically. The mechanical properties included tensile modulus, tensile strength and hardness, whereas thermal properties included thermal stability, melting and crystallinity percentage content were studied. In addition we applied the functionally graded materials concept, the elastic finite element analysis of a layered functionally graded pressurized pipe, which is one of the practical industrial applications, was accomplished in order to have some insight on the performance of such RPMCs. The results reveal that the desired mechanical and thermal properties met the requirements of a wide range of practical applications which can be attained by adding the considered fillers. Also, the proper selection of the layers of the pressurized pipe, which was made of RPMCs, led to decrease of the induced stresses and accordingly increased the operational safety. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.