Effect of Acetylation on the Viscoelastic and Creep Properties of Orange Peel Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Abstract

Orange Peel fibers were treated by acetylationto increase its compatibility with the polymer matrix, and its reinforcement with polypropylene was developed via compression mouldingtechnique which waslater subjected to thermal characterization. Results obtained from the dynamic mechanical analysis showed an increase in the storage and loss modulus of the composites with weight fraction of orange peel fibers, with the chemically treated (acetylated) composites having higher storage and loss moduluscompared to the untreated composites.Lower damping peaks (Tan ∂) values were generally found at higher filler loadings implying an improvement in thermal stability and load bearing capacity of the composites. Results for the creep behaviour of the composites revealeda decrease in the creep strain of the composites with filler loading of the orange peel fibers and an increase in th e creep strain as the time was varied. The treated composites had lower creep strain than the untreated composites which confirmed the presence of the acetylation in improving the interfacial bonding between the fibers and the matrix.