Injection-molded PP composites reinforced with talc and nanoclay for automotive applications

In this study, a commercially available polypropylene (PP) copolymer with 30-wt% talc was used as a reference material. Two different PP copolymers with 30- and 20-wt% talc were also taken as alternatives. Despite the reference PP compound, the other two alternatives are still under development and never used for the production of any exterior trim part in automotive industry. These three PP compounds were injection molded with fixed mold and barrel temperatures. Then, the samples were molded at different mold and barrel temperatures to investigate the effects of processing parameters on the mechanical and thermal properties of the final product. Finally, the effect of addition of 1-, 3- and 5-wt% nanoclay on the final properties of the PP with 20-wt% talc was explored. Differential scanning calorimeter was used to analyze the crystallization behavior of the samples. Tensile, bending, and Izod and Charpy impact tests were performed on these samples. Heat deflection temperatures and Vicat softening points were also measured. The X-ray diffraction analysis was performed to see the dispersion of the nanoclay in the PP matrix.