Sufian, Nur Afiqah (2023) Mechanical properties of polypropylene mixed with rice husk polymer composites upon ultraviolet irradiation. Masters thesis, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

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Abstract

Wood Polymer Composites (WPCs), a material made from polymer matrix and natural fiber are growing into a high market industry due to it being sustainable and more environmental friendly which acts as an alternative to polymer. This study aims to investigate the influence of weight percentage of rice husk (RH), recycled polypropylene (WPP) and homopolymer polypropylene (HPP) mixture affects the mechanical characteristics and the photodegradation of this material particularly after being subjected to UV irradiation. In this study, WPC specimens were prepared by mixing the WPC pellets (WPP mixed with RH) obtained from the industry with 10%, 20% and 30% of (HPP) respectively through injection molding. The percentage of WPC pellets were 100% WPP, (80% WPP + 20% RH), (60% WPP + 40% RH) and (40%WPP + 60% RH). The specimens were later exposed to 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000 hours of UV irradiation under accelerated weathering. The specimens were then subjected to tensile test, flexural test, FTIR analysis and morphological studies of the fractured surface by means of an optical microscope. In this thesis,WPP, RH, and HPP were denoted by the letter A, B, and C, respectively. The results obtained show that specimen A40B60C0 has the highest modulus of elasticity (MOE) and carbonyl index (CI) value but lowest flexural strength. Specimen A60B40C30 however exhibits the highest value for flexural modulus and the lowest value for carbonyl index. It can be concluded that WPC specimens exhibit decrease in mechanical properties after they were exposed to UV irradiation. CI values obtained from FTIR analysis confirmed this. The morphological studies of the fractured surfaces are also in agreement whereby formation of voids was detected on specimens after UV irradiation. The increased content of rice husk contributed to the decrease of mechanical properties. This effect was counter with the addition of HPP into the composition by reducing the exposure of rice husk fillers to UV irradiation and humidity and increasing the interface bonding of rice husk and polymer matrix

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