Examinations of the effect of montmorillonite on selected properties and structure of polybutylene terephthalate
Zbigniew Bałaga, Anna Przybycin, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Adam Gnatowski
Quarterly No. 3, 2017 pages 175-179
DOI:
keywords: polybutylene terephthalate, montmorillonite, mechanical properties, composites
abstract BADANIA WPŁYWU MONTMORYLONITU NA WYBRANE WŁAŚCIWOŚCI I STRUKTURĘ The paper discusses the results of examinations of mechanical properties and examinations of the structure of composite polybutylene terephthalate with montmorillonite. The aim of the material examinations presented in this paper was to determine the effect of the content of the fillers on the structure and properties of the polymer composite. For this purpose, the examinations of tensile strength, hardness and topography of sample surface were performed for the surface of the specimens of the composite obtained using atomic-force microscope. The specimens of composites were obtained using the injection moulding method with processing parameters for which the best properties were obtained. The study revealed an insignificant increase in tensile strength for the specimens with addition of montmorillonite of 3 and 7% from 51 MPa for butylene polyterephthalate to 53 and 54 MPa, respectively. An increase in material Shore hardness was also found. All the composite specimens were characterized by hardness at similar level of 95 to 96 degrees on the Shore scale. An increase in hardness of the composites measured by means of the ball indentation test was observed compared to polybutylene terephthalate. Addition of montmorillonite of 3 and 7% leads to the increase in hardness from 130 MPa for polybutylene terephthalate to 143 and 148 MPa, respectively. Structural changes caused by the use of montmorillonite as a filler were observed in the examinations of surface topography. Several structural drawbacks linked to the adhesion between the matrix and the filler were also found.